Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Victory - Fuel To The Fire - 2005 - Armageddon Music

Track Listing1. Standing Like A Rock 2. Don't Tell No Lies 3. Take The Pace 4. Running Scared 5. Temples Of Gold 6. Rock The Neighbours 7. I Felt It Coming 8. Backseat Rider 9. Rock'n'roll Kids 10. Rebel Ready 11. On The Loose 12. Check's In The Mail 13. So They Run

Hard rock enthusiasts rejoice and stand proud! Germany's leading hard rock providers are back in a big way baby! Victory joins the celebrations once again, this time bringing to light twelve of their best cuts for a special re-recording presentation for new and old fans. The group had mentioned last year that they were trying to get the labels to reissue all of their records, as most have gone out of print and turned up very expensive on the Ebay and import market. The labels were not interested, so the group set out to re-record a few of their favorites so the fans could still hear some of these songs for the first time.

I have always been a fan of the band, but my wallet and searches have missed out on classic albums like "Temples Of Gold", "Voiceprint", and "Hungry Hearts". Now I can finally hear some of the material found on those albums, however this time we get modern production values and a much more seasoned approach at recording. The last Victory studio record saw the band's first vocalist, Charlie Huhn, back in the band for a tour and the record "Instinct", which was an incredible display of raw hard rock power. With Huhn fronting the legendary Foghat now, Victory had to turn to a new vocalist in Jioti Parcharidis, who contributed vocals to the last two Human Fortress records. With the band now fronted by a new singer, they dish out the goods in this much needed "greatest hits" package called "Fuel To The Fire".

With two great rock legends like Tommy Newton (Fair Warning) and Herman Frank (Accept, Moon Doc) involved with the band, as well as famed drummer Fritz Randow (Saxon), you know that you are getting pure, seasoned quality. These guys are about as famous in the Euro scene as Tommy Lee and George Lynch in the US. Beyond that Frank and Newton both work the production for this package, proving why they have been producing these types of bands for the last ten years. New vocalist Parcharidis proves more than capable of putting Victory back in the driver's seat for another few albums of rock and roll bliss, as his powerful pipes lend their presence on popular cuts like "Check's In The Mail", "Rock 'N Roll Kids", and of course "Don't Tell No Lies". I thought it was interesting that the band chose to cover a song off of their last album in "Running Scared", quite possibly the band's best song to date. For newer fans who may already be too familiar with these tracks, a new song is included called "I Felt It Coming".

I can feel a new record coming.



--EC 1.12.06