I’d say this is where Demon became a heavy metal band again. We’ve got a thicker guitar pushed more toward the front (and a variant of the archetypal Welcome to Hell/2 Minutes to Midnight riff on the title track), anthemic drumming and choruses, and more energy with chugging guitar and a plethora of Dave Hill’s raspy screaming. We also have a ton of synthetic instruments playing all sorts of interesting melodies that pop up everywhere, not making it more metal, but it’s a prominent enough feature to note.
The opening track is “Life On the Wire,” a song about substance abuse told from the perspective of an addict struggling with whether he wants to quit. The song is basically the anthem of all drug abuse songs, and the long build-up to the vocals works very well. Most of the melodies throughout this whole release are fantastic and will have you hooked almost instantly, but that opener is one of the best and puts classics like Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” to shame in the beware-of-the-dope genre.
One song they really nailed is “England’s Glory,” which is an ultra-patriotic metal song unto Great Britain whose lyrics brag about the country’s legacy from William Shakespeare to The Beatles to various military and sports victories. It’s done in Johnny Cash “I’ve Been Everywhere” style where Dave Hill rattles off as much historical and cultural references as he can in the verses; it’s so fast that he’s intelligible without the lyrics sheet. Despite being a proud American, it made me want to be British just for a little bit. Anyway, it’s my favorite song on the album.
Another interesting song, because Demon have a gift for penning intriguing ideas for song lyrics, is “Hollywood.” It’s an observation of the L.A. glam metal scene of the late 1980’s, and it’s partly critical but partly envious. Demon always wanted and deserved to make it bigger than they did, and by 1987 I think they bittersweetly realized that they were never destined to be famous, but would find an even more fulfilling contentment with their small league of true and dedicated fans. I found it very emotionally provoking.
The “Finale” closes the record with a medley of synthesized tunes from various songs and some nice guitar work. Those synthesizers are really prominent, and it makes me feel like I’m listening to a much better and more metallic version of Bon Jovi. That’s meant as a compliment, in case I wasn’t clear.
When the album is over, it’s obvious that this is not Demon’s best effort (most of the songs I didn’t mention are merely good due to not being tightened up perfectly), but it’s certainly better than “Heart of Our Time” that came before it. Dave Hill’s voice is something to appreciate though, as he sounds more groggy and hoarse than he usually does; it’s a nice dose of variety, because I love rougher singers. Just go back and listen to the man’s throat on “Through These Eyes.” It makes me wonder if he was ever a chain smoker, and if so, how does he manage to still sing so melodically when necessary?
I’d recommend “Taking the World By Storm” before this; it’s the same style of metal except heavier and superiorly composed. Don’t avoid “Breakout” though; a handful of these songs are a real tasty treat, and none of them are bad, just a tad below those mountainous Demon standards. They were still recovering from the tragic loss of x-guitarist and composer Mal Spooner, but they were getting it back together here and would soon become a better band then they ever were before.
