Thunder Seven (nolifetilmetal.com)

Triumph Rocks Album Reviews

Triumph – Thunder Seven (MCA) 1984

1. “Spellbound” (5:12)
2. “Rock Out, Roll On” (5:10)
3. “Cool Down” (4:49)
4. “Follow Your Heart” (3:32)
5. “Time Goes By” (5:57)
6. “Midsummer’s Daydream” [instrumental] (1:40)
7. “Time Canon” [acapella] (1:32)
8. “Killing Time” (4:15)
9. “Stranger in a Strange Land” (5:11)
10. “Little Boy Blues” [instrumental] (3:33)

I saw Triumph on this tour in Philadelphia at the Spectrum. Before that point I was a casual Triumph fan, but after seeing them live, I suddenly just “got it”. Triumph are pure, unadulterated rock and roll. Songs like “Spellbound”, “Follow Your Heart” and “Cool Down” are prime, rockin’ Triumph. Unfortunately by 1984 many of the hard rock bands of the 1970’s were sounding a bit watered down, mostly due to slick production. Surprisingly, “Thunder Seven” rocks as hard as anything they had ever done, even if the album doesn’t have the heavy, raw production of their early material. I’m surprised more of this album didn’t find it’s way to the radio. Most of what is presented here is at least as good as the acclaimed “Allied Forces” album, and better than “Never Surrender”.. The album also featured two instrumentals, showing just how much diversity this band had. Rik Emmett is certainly no slacker on the guitar. “Time Canon” is an acapella number that reminds me of something Yes might have done during the Trevor Rabin years. “Stranger In A Strange Land” is Triumph experimenting with a more blues-inspired sound. All in all, “Thunder Seven” is a prime slab of Canadian hard rock.

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