Triumph - Live At The US Festival

Year of Release: 2003
Label: TML
Catalog Number: 79201
Format: CD
Total Time: 54:47:00

The legendary Canadian hard rock band Triumph unfortunately does not exist in it's original form anymore, mainly because founding member Rik Emmet (vocals, guitars) went solo. The remaining members, Gil Moore (vocals, drums) and Mike Levine (bass, keys) did find a replacement in Phil X (ex-Frozen Ghost, vocals, guitars), but released their last studio album in 1993. Since 1995, they have been working on remastering and reissuing the back catalog, and one of the releases is the performance at the US Festival in 1983, some 20 years ago. This fantastic show has been released both on DVD [see Keith's review] and on CD.

Well, to start, I'd recommend the DVD, as the music is really great, but the effect is much better if you see them perform. The tracklisting on the CD is equal to the DVD, with one bonus track added, "Follow Your Heart," but this is included on the DVD as a bonus video. The music of Triumph is melodic hard rock, with a good balance between power and melody. The fact that Moore and Emmet share the vocals is added value to the music. Both have powerful, slightly high pitched vocals, but Moore tends to scream a bit at the really high parts. The songs played during the set are a nice overview of the career of Triumph until that time. The catchy "Lay It On The Line" and "Never Surrender" are my favourites, while some songs don't do much for me; again, I miss the visual aspect here! For more about the music, check out the DVD review!

One good point about the CD is [that] it comes with a bonus DVD, containing three songs: "Fight The Good Fight" (taken from the DVD), "SpellBound" (taken from a coming live DVD) and "Follow Your Heart" (a video clip). Especially "Spellbound" is really impressive, 'cause just when you think the song is over, they blast away the audience with a really cool laser, lights and pyro show!! Triumph at their best!

Triumph was one of the better bands in their days, but these releases show today they still have the power to impress people with their excellent music and outrageous live shows. So for those who are not familiar with this band (as I was before I got these releases), this is a good point to get to know them. And remember ... the album is fantastic, but the DVD is a must have!

Similar Bands: Journey, Foreigner

[This review originally appeared December 2003 at the ProgPower Online review site. Total time listed is for the CD only, not the bonus DVD -ed.]

Tracklisting:
CD: Allied Forces (3:41) / Lay It On The Line (4:30) / Never Surrender (6:37) / Magic Power (5:49) / World Of Fantasy (5:32) / Rock & Roll Machine (10:31) / When The Lights Go Down (6:18) / Fight The Good Fight (7:38) / Spellbound () / Follow Your Heart (4:06)

Limited Edition DVD: Fight The Good Fight / Spellbound / Follow Your Heart

Musicians:
Rik Emmett -guitars, vocals
Gil Moore - drums, vocals
Mike Levine - bass, keyboards

Discography:
Triumph (1976)
Rock & Roll Machine (1977)
Just a Game (1979)
Progressions of Power (1980/1995/2004)
Allied Forces (1981/1995/2004)
Never Surrender (1982/1995/2004)
Thunder Seven (1984/1995/2004)
Stages (1985/1995/2004)
The Sport of Kings (1985/1995/2004)
Surveillance (1989/1995/2004)
Edge of Excess (1993)
In the Beginning (1995)
Cleveland 1981 (1996)
King Biscuit Flower Hour (In Concert) (1996)
Live at the US Festival (2003)
Livin' For The Weekend: Anthology (2005)
Extended Versions: Triumph (2006)
Greatest Hits: Remixed (2010)

A Night Of Triumph (DVD) (2004)

Genre: Melodic Rock/AOR

Origin CA

Added: May 29th 2005
Reviewer: Marcel Haster
Score:
Artist website: www.triumphmusic.com
Hits: 1985
Language: english