Sentinel's Quick Reviews

I just got my order in the mail today from FYE's Cyber Monday sale and the 3 CD/ 1 DVD re release of this album was in there. I bought this as a new release back in college in 1997 and have loved it ever since. Of course I love it, I have bought 3 different versions of it.

I know it's a bit of a departure from the sound of the two albums that preceded it (Inside Out and Parallels) and definitely different from the first two discs with Ray Alder. And obviously, a world away from the sound of Jon Arch era FW. In all honesty, as much as I like Inside Out and Parallels, they sound very similar. The mix of styles (progressive Metal, Industrial, Classical) was a welcome change from a band that kept progressing with each album but still retained the sounds and elements of previous offerings.

I remember writing many papers and studying for numerous tests while spinning this album. Hearing it now brings me back to campus and going to class with my Walkman listening to this. I was a bit of a melancholy soul in the nineties and was really delving deep into Progressive music (QR, FW, DT, Crimson Glory, and Magnitude 9) as a respite from any problems in my life.

Some have told me in conversation that this is a concept album, but to me, it's more of a stream of consciousness song with recurring lyrical themes throughout the nearly one hour long run time. Some reviewers have held the length and dark tone against the band and said it took time and repeated listens for it to sink in; not me, I have loved it since day one. It sits behind Guardian, Spectre, and No Exit for favorite Fates.

This was the album that made me a fan of the band. It just spoke to me more than the albums before it. It clicked.

I absolutely love FW from this album on...........


Have you heard Kevin Moore's post DT work? The first two Chroma Key albums are in this vein (Sans guitar).

I know of them but have not heard them. I will def check them out though. I got lucky to find a few of Derek Sherinian's solo albums for cheap in a used bin a few years back and have all the James Labrie, Jon Artch, and Jim Matheos solo stuff.

Thanks, chewie.

Here's the opening song from Kevin Moore/Chroma Key. Screw it! I'm putting the whole album here. Grab some headphones and chill..................

The Lineup is:
Kevin Moore (keyboards, bass, vocals)
Mark Zonder (drums)
Jason Anderson (guitar)
Joey Vera (bass)

It sounds NOTHING like any of the bands these guys have been in before. It's ambient electronic Peter Gabriel type stuff. In fact, my description probably doesn't even do it justice.

Great night driving music.



Once I heard that opening tune, I was hooked!

I only have that first Chroma Key album, but it's a great one. After hearing it, you can definitely understand why he left Dream Theater.

Citanul wrote:

I only have that first Chroma Key album, but it's a great one.  After hearing it, you can definitely understand why he left Dream Theater.

...........and why Portnoy left the OSI project.........


There's supposed to be a new Chroma Key album that he is working on while he is finishing medical school.

This is my favorite TNT, but not the first album I heard by them. In '87 I saw the videos for "10,000 Lovers" and "Everyone's A Star" as I was hooked. I backtracked a year or so later and got this on cassette. Still have it on cassette as well as CD. I love Ronnie's riffs and guitar tone and find Tony's vocals just captivating as they soar above the meaty Metal riffs and scorching lead breaks. A raw and classic album. This whole album is great but standouts are "Seven Seas" and "Tor With the Hammer" and I also really like "Last Summer's Evil" for the catchy chorus and the way it glides so smooth out of the instrumental "Klassisk Romance." Even the ballad, "Without Your Love," which really has a 70's AM feel to it is good as it comes across very sincere and not obligatory. Anyway, enjoy!

Sentinel and chewie bringing HoM some tunes you may not have heard yet. Feel free to comment.

That's the album that made me a fan. We played Knights to death at our garage parties. I remember listening to this in my room and my mom came by and said that Eddie was a "pretty song".

Ha. Yeah, "Eddie" sounds like it should be a ballad by the music, but def not the lyrics. I am reminded musically of "Rainbow Eyes" at the beginning for some reason.

I have always been a fan of the "Shredders" from back in the day. It's just so 1980's! I took guitar lessons in junior high but didn't have the patience to actually learn how to play more than just a few chords and halves of songs/ opening riffs. I mostly just ran around the room with it and played along to my cassettes. So I have kind of always been in awe of these guys and the sound of an electric guitar is what really drew me in to Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music.

The "instrumental" guitar album really is special. No one was playing Satch or Macalpine at parties they were Dokken and Ratt and you don't really roll down the windows and crank it on a summer day the way you would AC/DC or KISS. We all remember where we were the first time we heard iconic songs and fan faves but the melodies and riffs of the instrumental guitar album really take me to a particular place in time. There are no lyrics that tell you a story like "Hall of the Mountain King" or confuse the heck out of you like "Holy Diver" so it can be whatever you want it to be. You write the script.

As for this masterpiece, I like the whole of it, but standout cuts are "Daydream" and "Hero Without Honor." Another awesome track is "Lifeforce." I am trying to get my hands on as much Shrapnel shredder stuff as I can on whatever medium is most affordable. Some sick riffage on this platter!

Good album! I love those Shrapnel albums.

Eagerly awaiting the new Howe fronted Metal Church album so I figured I would spin this gem. I need to grab this on CD (or Vinyl) as my cassette is on it's last legs. "And Kingdoms Fall," "Shifting Fire," and "Evil For Evil" are the standouts imho of an absolute Metal Masterpiece!

You're right, that's a true metal masterpiece. A classic without a weak song on it.

007 wrote:

You're right, that's a true metal masterpiece. A classic without a weak song on it.

Thank you, sir. It's also in need of a good and proper re release as the original pressings fetch some big bucks on the auction sites.

the sentinel wrote:

007 wrote:

You're right, that's a true metal masterpiece. A classic without a weak song on it.

Thank you, sir.  It's also in need of a good and proper re release as the original pressings fetch some big bucks on the auction sites.

It's a great album and one of my all time favorites.

It has been reissued a couple of times:

2009 - Reissued and remastered by Lost & Found Records with one bonus track - "Impulse." This is completely out of print.

2013 - Reissued by Metal Blade as part of the From the Vault... Tortured and Broken box set. This is still in print and readily available on Amazon.

I own both of these reissues as well as the original vinyl and CD issues. Any of them is worth getting if you can find them.

Witchfinder wrote:

the sentinel wrote:

007 wrote:

You're right, that's a true metal masterpiece. A classic without a weak song on it.

Thank you, sir.  It's also in need of a good and proper re release as the original pressings fetch some big bucks on the auction sites.

It's a great album and one of my all time favorites.

It has been reissued a couple of times:

2009 - Reissued and remastered by Lost & Found Records with one bonus track - "Impulse." This is completely out of print.

2013 - Reissued by Metal Blade as part of the From the Vault... Tortured and Broken box set. This is still in print and readily available on Amazon.

I own both of these reissues as well as the original vinyl and CD issues.  Any of them is worth getting if you can find them.  

Thanks for the info, WF. I perused the bay last night and there was nothing in the US under like $40. But, I didn't check Amazon. I have been listening a lot on youtube and the bonus track "Impulse" is there. Good tune, but it sounds weird to me after all those years of hearing it on my Walkman and the cassette ending with "The Search."

So, in honor and memoriam:



My second fave behind "Overkill" there is not a bad song on this one. I have a reissue with 3 bonus tracks. But my faves are "One Track Mind" and "Dancing on Your Grave" followed very closely by "Rock It." This is one kick ass platter but has a shite ton of melody. I have read that this one was a big flop back in the day and I can't see or hear why? Maybe it's me but I don't hear the bands core sound change much from Overkill/ Bomber /Ace /Iron Fist to APD if at all.

So, "Halls of Valhalla" came on one of my comps on the way home from work tonight and it put me in the mood to spin this one. I don't have much of a review on this one except to say that it's Priest and Halford sounds real good and it's just a kick ass disc. I picked this up day of release and spun it immediately. My first impression was that it sounded more like a Halford solo offering than a traditional Priest album, but after time, only the second disc makes me feel that way. Instantly more accessible and engaging than Nostradamus. But that's a whole nother review. The week this came out I took my wife to Mohegan Sun Casino so she could see her fave artist, Michael Buble. I caught Warrant playing a free show in the Wolf Den and then walked around the casino listening to this til her show let out.

Anyway, faves from this one: Valhalla, Dragonaut, Metalizer, Hell and Back, and the title track. Bonus disc: Snakebite, Creature

Another Perfect Day is my favorite Motorhead album bar none.

the sentinel wrote:

This is my favorite TNT, but not the first album I heard by them. In '87 I saw the videos for "10,000 Lovers" and "Everyone's A Star" as I was hooked. I backtracked a year or so later and got this on cassette. Still have it on cassette as well as CD. I love Ronnie's riffs and guitar tone and find Tony's vocals just captivating as they soar above the meaty Metal riffs and scorching lead breaks. A raw and classic album. This whole album is great but standouts are  "Seven Seas" and "Tor With the Hammer" and I also really like "Last Summer's Evil" for the catchy chorus and the way it glides so smooth out of the instrumental "Klassisk Romance." Even the ballad, "Without Your Love," which really has a 70's AM feel to it is good as it comes across very sincere and not obligatory. Anyway, enjoy!

I had this album on cassette, too, until it wore out. My favorite songs on it are "Break The Ice" and "Last Summer's Evil." It's a very solid album, but those two songs immediately stood out for me. It is the only album that I've heard by them that I like.

80s Metal Lady wrote:

the sentinel wrote:

This is my favorite TNT, but not the first album I heard by them. In '87 I saw the videos for "10,000 Lovers" and "Everyone's A Star" as I was hooked. I backtracked a year or so later and got this on cassette. Still have it on cassette as well as CD. I love Ronnie's riffs and guitar tone and find Tony's vocals just captivating as they soar above the meaty Metal riffs and scorching lead breaks. A raw and classic album. This whole album is great but standouts are  "Seven Seas" and "Tor With the Hammer" and I also really like "Last Summer's Evil" for the catchy chorus and the way it glides so smooth out of the instrumental "Klassisk Romance." Even the ballad, "Without Your Love," which really has a 70's AM feel to it is good as it comes across very sincere and not obligatory. Anyway, enjoy!

I had this album on cassette, too, until it wore out. My favorite songs on it are "Break The Ice" and "Last Summer's Evil." It's a very solid album, but those two songs immediately stood out for me. It is the only album that I've heard by them that I like.

Really? Wow. They have a pretty large catalog of music and I don't know how much you have explored, but maybe if you went back now you might find something else to like? That works for me sometimes. Truth be told, I haven't really liked much of TNT's output since the mid to late nineties. It just seems like something is missing. Thanks for your input, 80's Metal Lady.

good thread

Have either one of you heard My Religion by TNT? That's probably my favorite album of theirs. I didn't really like them in the 80s, but for some reason I picked up that album and dug it. After sifting through the catalog, I like the Knights of the New Thunder(Last Summer's Evil is a killer tune!) and My Religion. You all should check it out sometime. I feel that it perfectly combines 80s and modern elements(2004 at the time).

the sentinel wrote:

80s Metal Lady wrote:

the sentinel wrote:

This is my favorite TNT, but not the first album I heard by them. In '87 I saw the videos for "10,000 Lovers" and "Everyone's A Star" as I was hooked. I backtracked a year or so later and got this on cassette. Still have it on cassette as well as CD. I love Ronnie's riffs and guitar tone and find Tony's vocals just captivating as they soar above the meaty Metal riffs and scorching lead breaks. A raw and classic album. This whole album is great but standouts are  "Seven Seas" and "Tor With the Hammer" and I also really like "Last Summer's Evil" for the catchy chorus and the way it glides so smooth out of the instrumental "Klassisk Romance." Even the ballad, "Without Your Love," which really has a 70's AM feel to it is good as it comes across very sincere and not obligatory. Anyway, enjoy!

I had this album on cassette, too, until it wore out. My favorite songs on it are "Break The Ice" and "Last Summer's Evil." It's a very solid album, but those two songs immediately stood out for me. It is the only album that I've heard by them that I like.

Really? Wow. They have a pretty large catalog of music and I don't know how much you have explored, but maybe if you went  back now you might find something else to like? That works for me sometimes. Truth be told, I haven't really liked much of TNT's output since the mid to late nineties. It just seems like something is missing. Thanks for your input, 80's Metal Lady.

Yeah. I have that one. It's a good album.