Mike Levine, Gil Moore and Rik Emmett (l-r). Is it me or does the guy in front look like he just farted?It's time for another stroll down memory lane with the time-themed release, Triumph's Thunder Seven. Most people considered Triumph to be the poor man's Rush and with good reason. Both were power trios from Canada, both had a blonde guitarist and both would pack heady intellectual themes with a slight prog brio into hard rock. Where they differed was in their intent: Rush strived to break new artistic ground and take the high road with their high falutin' ideas while Triumph always fell back to a more generic hard rock sound. Put simply, Rush would feed your head while Triumph would rather knee you in the nuts.
Though they never escaped their Canadian brother's shadow, Triumph were able to carve out a sturdy audience among 80's rockers. A few Gold records and some decent tours made them a band for those "in the know". Guitarist Rik Emmett was undoubtedly the star of the band, his flash fingered guitar assaults and wailing high pitched voice was immediately identifiable. Drummer Gil Moore brought more of the Spinal Tap edge to the band while bassist Mike Levine silently gave a strong performance with a lot of musicality.
Thunder Seven caught the band at a time when they were trying to move away from the heavier rock sound to more of an arena rock...um, arena. The songs were a little more commercial than prior albums but not to the point they lost their identity. And so here it is, Triumph - Thunder Seven (1984).
1. Spellbound - The opening song and single from the album. A classic slice of standard hard rock amped up by Rik Emmetts amazing high range hook ("Sppeelllll-bbounnd!") as Gil Moore's raspier voice plays up the rock n roll lust. An awesome rockin' song.
2. Rock Out, Roll On - Remember that thing about falling back on a generic rock sound? Here's exhibit A, but even with that the chorus is memorable and sticks with me after all these years. Emmett takes the lead vocal and brings the drama wailing home.
3. Cool Down - A bit of Zeppelin influences this strutting rocker. One of the least memorable cuts on the album.
4. Follow Your Heart - The other single from the album, a terrific bit of Arena Rock glory with a gang shouted chorus and great vocal interplay between Emmett and Moore. One of many common themes in between Rush and Triumph is the power of the individual, that theme gets addressed here.
5. Time Goes By - One of my all time favorite songs, a little similar in structure to other Triumph classics "Never Surrender" or "Fight The Good Fight". A big chunky riff dominates the verse while the solo speeds off into overdrive. This song also marks the beginning of the Time theme of the rest of the record.
6. Midsummer's Daydream (instrumental) - Once an album Rik Emmett would play a beautiful acoustic solo amazing for it's mood and technical skill. Emmett doesn't disappoint with this skilled piece. He may be the only Metal guitarist to show a little Steve Howe influence.
7. Time Canon - A brief interlude of mixed a capella voices saying "Time" or "Time Again" in an almost drone like manner.
8. Killing Time - Emmett and Moore trade vocals on this one, a fine pop rocker about the pain of not following your heart (see, should have listened to their advice earlier on!). Another fave from back in the day.
9. Stranger In A Strange Land - Triumph would occasionally dip into a little reggae and on Thunder Seven that happened on the ninth song. Not terribly memorable for me, I played a song sample of this online and still can't remember it.
10. Little Boy Blues - Rik Emmett was the star of the band, there was no doubt of that to anyone except maybe the other two band members. There were few guitarists who could seamlessly mesh the finger tapping firepower of metal with the intricate guitar patterns of prog like Emmett. And then even fewer who could do that and still punch out a ripping blues guitar like Emmett does on "Little Boy Blues".
As usual with Triumph, the big overarching themes come down to simple messages: follow your dreams, make the most of your time in life and girls are hot. Artistically, the bands 1980 release Allied Forces was their peak, but in memories it's Thunder Seven I remember best. Recently, the band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (see below). Rock Out, Roll On!
Triumph at the Canadian Music Hall of Fame
2 comments:
The dude holding the guitar neck looks amazingly like Owen Wilson, don't you think?
And yes, the one guy looks like he just broke wind (or is trying very hard not to).
Musically, I liked this band okay. Nothing to get excited about, but they were good.
I never noticed that, Emmett does look like Owen Wilson! Triumph was a good band but they just didn't have enough to make it past Gold records in America. They tried harder to sell out on the next album and lost most of their audience in the process. I was never their hugest fan but could count on them for at least five great songs per album.
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