Remember these guys? It's OK if you don't – I didn't really, either. Formed by ex-Michael Schenker Group singer Gary Barden about two decades ago, Statetrooper played New Wave of British Heavy Metal mixed with AOR and hard rock. The band recorded one self-titled album (released in 1987 and recently reissued – with crappy audio quality, I regret to add – by Escape Music) and then split up. The relative success of the reissue, though, was enough to convince Barden and three more of the six original Statetroopers to reform. Released on the band's own label, CIC Records, The Calling contains plenty of punchy, impressive songs — namely the title track, the politically tinged "Amerasians," and the organic-sounding closing ballad "I Believe" — tucked in between some old-school AOR/hard rock that unfortunately sounds as dated the first Statetrooper album. Still, give Statetrooper some credit: The Calling manages to sound like more than simply a reunion album by a bunch of desperate musicians.
Track Listing
1) The Calling (4:32)
2) Casablanca (4:41)
3) I'm Alive (3:54)
4) Amerasians (4:30)
5) Loves Lies Bleeding (4:40)
6) D.O.A. (4:17)
7) Marionettes (4:01)
8) Don't Say Goodbye (4:21)
9) How Does It Feel (4:02)
10) Twilight's Last Gleaming (4:08)
11) I Believe (4:38)
Total Time: 47:51
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
