Classic Melodic Rock
Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 12/02/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"American bands may have introduced the melodic arena rock sound in the early 80's, but their European counterparts have since perfected the style, and filled the gap between AOR and hair metal quite nicely. This type of melodic rock is hardly what you'd expect from Mercyful Fate guitarist Hank Shermann, but it's hard to argue with the results.
Fate's 1986 album A Matter of Attitude was the band's second release, and the last to feature Shermann on guitar. The album has plenty of extremely catchy rock anthems and is crammed with enough keyboards to please just about any 80's AOR devotee. This kind of album is "80's movie soundtrack rock", and I mean that in the best possible way. If you enjoy the European melodic rock scene, particularly bands like Bonfire and Treat, A Matter of Attitude is going to put a big smile on your face. The party is off to a great start with a pair of irresistible anthems - "Won't Stop" and "Hard As a Rock" - and the rest of the album is just as much fun, alternating between rock anthems and sappy love songs, all with great melodies, catchy hooks and slick production.
A Matter of Attitude is the best of the Fate albums by far, and should thrill just about any fan of 80's era AOR, melodic rock and hair metal. Of course, if you're going to spend money on this album, you might as well go for the MTM Classix 2004 reissue, which features digitally remastered sound and two great bonus tracks - Hardcore Romance and Memories of You."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1