Magic Power: All Star Tribute to Triumph (Round Hill records)

 

 

Tributes most of the time is a clever way for the remaining record companies to milk the love of the fans ,for bands not active any more,adding some of the most curious names in the metal genre usually who sing from Sinatra to SLAYER with the same ease and apathy for the final result. In our youtube  days where this kind of collaboration especially after the Covid lockdown made it familiar to a wider audience, tribute album seem to fade as a tactic. But here we have a  tribute album for one of the best Canadian hard rock bands and definitely along with Pat Travers and Frank Marino among the most underrated. So is this tribute worth listening and investing in? I'm saying yes from the start. Despite who sings what, the songs stand the time and the different kind,style, range of vocalists who all , i must admit try the best to present a decent result It is the quality of TRIUMPHs songwriting that helps the singers and musicians to just give a more contemporary, metal sometimes feeling in these classic tunes.

The opener brief intro of “24 Hours A Day” which appropriately segues into “Rock And Roll Machine”. Both  sung by Sebastian Bach, who gives a more metalic edge to the song accompanied by another underrated guitar player, Bumblefoot who knows how to fill in for Rik Emmett's enormous shoes.“In Magic Power” who find another familiar face in AOR,melodic rock covers, although in his day job he is more thrashy, Mr is l. Joey Belladonna from ANTHRAX who makes a captivating high note performance. Other participants include Starship‘s Mickey Thomas singing the rocking “Spellbound”. with Phil X on guitars and backing vocals .
Dee Snider is convincing handling  the lead vocals for “Lay It On The Line” while Paul Gilbert gets his own interpretation of the guitar parts. Next in line is Lawrence Govan ( STYX), with “Somebody’s Out There”,with REO SPEEDWAGON’s Dave Amato covers the lead guitar parts in a more pop oriented song that fits them both as a glove. 

“Never Surrender” one of my personal favorites ,has Deen Castronovo’s (JOURNEY) vocal delivery,  Tony Franklin’s funky bass, Brooks Wackerman on drums, and Justin Derrico’s on guitar getting the pop rock feeling of the 80s in the best sense.A climaxing groove song that culminates on the chorus.
 Jeff Keith (TESLA) another unusual choice is singing “Hold On” with a more down to earth approach.CHICAGO 's Jason Scheff takes his turn on “Just One Night”, a mid tempo 80s ballad, delivered straight for the MTV audience. I “I Live For The Weekend” with Slash is t Nita Strauss, and Phil X on rhythm guitars. has Dorothy and Tyler Connolly on the vocals in a ZZ TOP ed version of one of my favorite TRIUMPH songs, less anthemic, more guitar driven, it's all a matter of choice and perception. 

Then we hit one of the most unexpected arrangements of the beloved “Fight The Good Fight” featuring  Nancy Wilson (HEART) on lead vocals. It has a moody feeling, a laid back 70s comfortness, that suits their rendition of the song."Follow your heart" with Jack Blades on vocals and Reb Beach on guitars., is a perfect tribute in the glory AOR 80s days, anthemic and heavier than the original, still missing the original's crushing vocal harmonies. Allied Forces” with Phil X, is ok, we could live without it, and didn't regret listening to it.

 ENVY OF NONE's take on “Blinding Light Show” is among the real attempts to cover an 80s band by some modern musicians and the result is an interesting, modern, seductive,hazy, different and interesting point of view to a classic melodic hard rock  tune. The end of the album includes a bonus track ,  “Fight The Good Fight” , featuring  Dino Jelusick on lead vocals in a more rockier, heavier and in my opinion, more attractive to  ears, version of the song that Wislon covered earlier. 

Overall, this tribute is a collective proof of the immensity, the musicality and the everlasting power of TRIUMPH songs, through different performers and arrangements,even heavier, showing the artistic value and the nature of the songs and the bands caliber. a tribute fit to the legendary status of the band ,that finally gets the recognition it deserves among its peers

 

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