TRIUMPH

TRIUMPH
ALLIED FORCES (1981)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Canadian hard rockers Triumph released their fifth album Allied Forces in the summer of 1981.
The band which consisted of singer/guitarist Rik Emmett, singer/drummer Gil Moore and bass player Mike Levine were a band that would have given fellow Canadian power trio Rush a run for their money.
Over the years, critics labeled Triumph various names like "a poor man's Rush" and "mutant hoseheads" among other unflattering names. Yet, because of the success of Rush's Moving Pictures in 1981, Triumph earned their first US Top 30 album with Allied Forces peaking at #23 on the Billboard album chart and was the band's first US Platinum seller, which deserved the success it got because the material was strong and had the band on top of its game.
Here is a synopsis of the tracks.
Gil Moore has two lead vocals on this album which were the opening rocker "Fool For Your Love" which he had the honor of doing every opening track on every Triumph album (save 1987's Surveillance) and he also did the lead vocal on the album's awesome title cut which would become a concert staple for the rest of the band's career.
Rik does the rest of the vocals on the album including the album's two biggest rock radio staples which are "Magic Power" and "Fight the Good Fight" which are the major reasons why Allied did well. The former is a rocker about the power that music has in music listener's lives and the latter is a great song which has somewhat of a spiritual overtone and was lyrically inspired by Emmett's aunt who was losing her battle with cancer but kept a brave face until the very end. Fight the Good Fight is a song telling you to keep your spirits and faith up no matter how bad things get. "Ordinary Man" is the album's second epic which is arguably the album's other great classic. Then there are the rockers "Hot Time in This City Tonight" and the closing "Say Goodbye" which are great songs and featured Rik's killer guitar and vocal work.
Also, this album has two instrumentals "Air Raid" which was an intro to the title cut and "Petite Etude" was a classical guitar workout from Rik.
Highly recommended!

1. Fool For Your Love
2. Magic Power
3. Air Raid
4. Allied Forces
5. Hot Time (In This City Tonight)
6. Fight The Good Fight
7. Ordinary Man
8. Petite Etude
9. Say Goodbye

NEVER SURRENDER (1983)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

To follow up an album like Allied Forces is for sure not an easy task, and Triumph did its best. Unfortunately, Never Surrender just wasn't the same commercial success as Allied Forces and it missed the mark.
The album starts off strong. With the furious rocker "Too Much Thinking" followed by "A World Of Fantasy," things really get rolling. Unfortunately, the second half of the album has a more tedious feel to it, which is hard to swallow.
Also included are several impressive instrumentals that showcase Rik's guitar talent, and Gil's drumming. Although the album did have some good songs, it just didn't seem to fit together as well as Allied Forces did. Still, it's efficient and entertaining enough to give it a few spins.

1. Too Much Thinking
2. A World Of Fantasy
3. A Minor Prelude
4. All The Way
5. Battle Cry
6. Overture (Procession)
7. Never Surrender
8. When The Lights Go Down
9. Writing On The Wall
10. Epilogue (Resolution)