ALLIED FORCES

The Led Zeppelin-like Hard Rocker, Fool For Your Love, opens this album and sets the expectations for the rest of the album very low. While it surely gets better, it sadly never gets much better. Like all of Triumph's works, this is primarily a pretty straightforward Hard Rock album, but there are a few glimpses of a more sophisticated approach that sets Triumph apart from other similar bands. Apart from Air Raid, which is a short instrumental - or should I say mood setter? - that introduces the title track, the whole first half of the album is filled with these generic and wholly undemanding Hard Rock songs. The absolute low point of the album is the Rock 'N' Roll number Hot Time (In The City Tonight). The title itself gives it away, doesn't it? Like always with Triumph, the vocals and guitar work is strong. Sadly, they rarely put these talents to any good use.

The second half of the album has a few much better songs in Fight The Good Fight and Ordinary Man. Ironically it is Ordinary Man that is the least ordinary track on Allied Forces. These songs are more elaborated and save this album from being a total disaster. The latter is very much in the style of Styx (in their better moments!) and also reminds of an earlier Triumph song, Blinding Light Show, which is, in my opinion, Triumph's best song ever. It is songs like these that make Triumph relevant for a Prog audience.

Like on many other Triumph albums, there is a short, classically inspired, acoustic guitar piece by Rik Emmet. This time it is called Petite Etude and functions as a very nice interlude. What comes after it is, however, sadly another generic rocker that closes the album. Here the vocals evoke Steve Perry of Journey and the chorus in particular is very Journey like.

Allied Forces is hardly Triumph's best album despite a few good and even one great moment. Their next album, Never Surrender, is a far better album in my opinion (though, hardly great!).

For fans and collectors only this one!

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