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 are often the subject of hot debate whenever the New Wave of British Heavy Metal is discussed: are they or aren't they supposed to be cited alongside the likes of ,  and , as a rejuvenating force in the evolution of heavy metal? After all, their debut album, , had shown that the Staffordshire quintet were far more indebted to Britain's heavyweights of melodic hard rock, like  and , than full-fledged heavy metal titans  or . But, then again, so were ! And, in any case, this debate would not find easy answers in 's second long player, 1982's . The eerie sound effects of "Intro" and "An Observation" seem to promise an all out rock opera in the making; but  were never ones to force unwarranted theatrics down the listener's throat on record (live, hell yes, but not on record!), choosing instead to pen exquisitely sculpted singles like "Don't Break the Circle," "The Spell" and "Beyond the Gates," which also just happened to be loosely connected to a common, central theme. On , that theme appeared to be a séance gone horribly wrong, and even though it's easy to imagine  taking lyric notes for 's future classic, "A Dangerous Meeting," he wouldn't have found too many gothic parlor tricks or minor-key dramatics worth poaching in brazenly upbeat songs like "Total Possession," "Deliver Us from Evil," and the organ-sweetened "Have We Been Here Before?" Instead, 's aforementioned  influences were once again proudly displayed by "Victim of Fortune" and the classy, perfectly balanced, not-too-sappy ballad, "Strange Institution"; while, on "The Grand Illusion," the group seemed to be channeling 's larger-than-life presentation -- and succeeded! In the end,  delivered professional, polished, but still unquestionably tough heavy rock, on an arguably even more consistent scale than its similarly impressive predecessor. As mentioned earlier, these qualities may not answer the were-they-weren't-they N.W.O.B.H.M. issue, but who really cares when the songs are this good!

 

 

1982 LP (France Pressing) Released on Carrere Records # 67.906(Stereo).
   Gatefold Jacket is in excellent shape.
. Record is in NM Condition and will Perform with Superb Sound Reproduction. 
Record is Professionally Cleaned for your listening pleasure.  

 

 

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