CITY OF FEAR

By this time in their career, FM had shaken away all of the Rush sounds that seemed to inhabit their first album. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. While there is still a hint of prog throughout the album, this is more power pop than prog, similar to Utopia in their middle years.

There are some fairly good songs on the album. The title track, City Of Fear has some nice changes and keyboard work, as does Surface To Air, with it's Bach quotations. Riding The Thunder almost makes it as a heavy song, but misses a bit in the production. Ans Nobody At All sounds like an early Kansas ballad (Ben Mink's viola helps with this).

This album is pleasant, but has nothing to blow the listener away.