"Queen of the Night" feels like a cross between Bon Jovi and Journey. It's anthemic but lacks the finesse that "the Devil is a Woman". They still play it safe and work within what the expectations were in the late 80s for this kind of thing. There has not been a straight-up power ballad yet, so I am not surprised when "The Best is Yet to Come" kicks off. The chorus is overly happy and terrible. Lyrically it's an anthem for anyone who wants to quit their job. They are more committed to power ballads. They lay the Velveeta on pretty thick. 'More is More' is a return to Bon Jovi, though there is room to breathe in the verses. The chorus goes big and just happens to work well enough over it.
"Iconic" plays to all kinds of tropes, but the execution works pretty well. The chorus goes too big once again, which is now their formula. The guitar on this album typically leans more in a Def Leppard direction. "Learn to Fly" tires too hard though there are some decent parts on it. The guitar solos get their own dedicated spot on these songs, but none of them really wow me. 'When the Lights Go Out" is way too happy for its own good. I think that is the sticking point for me because of the hair metal I was into back in the day... Faster Pussycat, Skid Row, LA Guns, Guns N Roses, and even Motley Crie were all on enough drugs to find the darkness of those addictions seeping through their pores. These guys need to get addicted to drugs. I anticipated "Not a Wise Man" being a ballad, and I guessed right. It's more of an 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn". I will give this album an 8, it's well done it just captures a mood that is not for me. This album oddly dropped on Napalm Records.
pst337
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