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Arch Rival - In The Face Of Danger review



Reviewer:
5.0
Band: Arch Rival
Album: In The Face Of Danger
Release date: 1991


01. In The Face Of Danger
02. Time Won't Wait
03. Me Against The World
04. Rock The Night Away
05. Fortune Hunter
06. God Bless America
07. Revolution
08. Mr.Attitude
09. Shotgun At Midnight
10. Siren's Song
11. Can You Tell Me Why?

According to ancient mythology, back in the early 1990's a musical movement came about that drove metal out of the media spotlight; this movement was called grunge. Since that time many people have boggled their minds over how what was once a great musical force could be driven underground so unceremoniously. Well, the answer lies in Arch Rival's In The Face Of Danger.

This is a re-release for those of us who enjoy collecting albums we will never listen to twice. Originally released in 1991, it has been repackaged - possibly to give us some warning about how saturated metal can become (at least that's the only logical reason I can conceive for exhuming this garbage for mass production). I can't blame the masses for shifting focus back in the early 90's after hearing this; yeah it's true Arch Rival weren't alone in this movement of generic cookie-cutter heavy metal, but this is the first one I've actually witnessed receive some form of congratulations for it. Some records don't deserve a re-release, In The Face Of Danger is no exception.

So what about the music? There's virtually nothing to say about it, In The Face Of Danger sounds like nothing more than a cheap Skid Row clone with occasional B-grade Axl Rose vocal tendencies. The only redeemable aspect about this album is the drumming. The very few songs they pick up the pace and start rocking they end up turning it into a pseudo-power ballad, meanwhile Greg Martin's hyper drumming sounds as if he was as bored with the music as I am. Unfortunately very few albums can be saved by drumming alone.

So it brings me back to my question: Why the fuck would there be any need to plague the world with bland crap like this for a second time? Is it a cryptic warning of some kind? Are pawn shops worldwide running out of cheap, uninspired metal? I think this is an album for those mass collectors who hail any release older than '94 as solid, classic heavy metal. This is so unbelievably generic, part of me is thinking it's some sort of 45 minute practical joke on album collectors. So for the love of God, people, let's stop encouraging this nonsense and stop equating anything old as "classic." Do not purchase.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 6
Songwriting: 2
Originality: 2
Production: 7





Written on 09.12.2009 by Former EIC. Now just a reviewer guy.


Comments

Comments: 2   Visited by: 78 users
09.12.2009 - 09:33
Daggon
Underpaid M.D.
With the description you gave I thought you would give it a lower rating Never heard of them BTW.
----
"Les vers savent qu'ils n'ont pas d'ailes, c'est pour cela qu'ils se cachent sous terre"
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09.12.2009 - 17:24
+{Jonas}+
I R Serious Cat
Well... that was harsh, so I went to their MySpace, and this review is totally right. Now excse me while I bathe my ears in acid.

Quote:

I think this is an album for those mass collectors who hail any release older than '94 as solid, classic heavy metal.


This made me think of K7
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"Nobody wants to be the weird kid, you just end up being the weird kid. You don't know how you ended up getting there" - Rob Zombie

http://jonas-bs.deviantart.com My dA, mainly photography, go check it out!
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