{"id":23434,"date":"2012-11-02T12:42:41","date_gmt":"2012-11-02T17:42:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=23434"},"modified":"2013-02-05T16:43:35","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T21:43:35","slug":"triumph-live-at-sweden-rock-festival-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/triumph-live-at-sweden-rock-festival-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Triumph | Live at Sweden Rock Festival<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis<\/span>
\n– Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"TriumphTriumph defined hard rock for many fans in the 1970s and 1980s, and this Canadian trio holds a special place in the minds and hearts of many a rocker. This seminal band reunited after a twenty year break to play Live at Sweden Rock Festival<\/em> on June 7th, 2008. Their performance was not just a reunion show, it was also a live \u201cgreatest hits\u201d show, culling the best material from the band’s storied discography. At long last, Frontiers has chosen to release a CD and DVD set of this historic concert.<\/p>\n

The groundbreaking Triumph trio of Rik Emmett (vocals, guitars), Mike Levine (bass, keyboards), and Gil Moore (vocals, drums) was joined by guest guitarist Dave Dunlop, and they rocked the house with a non-stop barrage of classic hits including \u201cLay It On The Line,\u201d \u201cNever Surrender,\u201d \u201cBlinding Light Show,\u201d and \u201cFight The Good Fight.\u201d The album is nicely mixed and surprisingly solid for a live recording \u2013 the crowd is part of the show, never dominating the music, and the vocals and instruments are all clean and clear.<\/p>\n

From Moore’s powerhouse drums and raspy vocals on the opener \u201cWhen The Lights Go Down\u201d to the soaring vocals and guitars of \u201cNever Surrender,\u201d Triumph delivers with technical excellence and enthusiasm. Emmett and Dunlop do a fine job on the delicate guitar passages of \u201cLay It On The Line,\u201d and Emmett’s voice is as smooth as ever. The twin guitar attack really kicks into high gear on \u201cAllied Forces,\u201d and this rocking track highlight’s Mike Levine’s excellent bass and Gil Moore’s ability to sing and drum simultaneously. Booming bass, passionate vocals, amazing guitars and overall tight musicianship by everyone make \u201cNever Surrender\u201d a great track. \u201cI Live For The Weekend\u201d is simply a strong live version of a kicky and upbeat song.<\/p>\n

The mesmerizing \u201cBlinding Light Show \/ Moon Child\u201d opens the second half of the concert. As always, this is one of Triumph’s strongest songs both in terms of intricate technical performance and fascinating lyrics, and it allows Rik Emmett in particular to strut his guitar stuff. Gil Moore pulls out his best blues man voice for the cover of the Joe Walsh anthem \u201cRocky Mountain Way,\u201d while Emmett’s vocals soar on the radio hit \u201cMagic Power.\u201d The band truly lives up to the title of \u201cRock & Roll Machine\u201d – which was a kick-ass tune way back then, and can still blow the roof off anyplace now. Rik Emmett’s extended solo is a joy to hear \u2013 and shows that he hasn’t lost a step. A terrific version of the epic \u201cFight The Good Fight\u201d wraps the show in fine style, proving Emmett, Levine, and Moore to be a true class (and classic) act technically and emotionally.<\/p>\n

Live at Sweden Rock Festival<\/em> is an excellent album for Triumph fans, and shows that the band can still play with the best of them. The chemistry and teamwork is as strong as it was two decades ago. Triumph prove themselves to still be the kings of arena rock! So if you are a fan, then Triumph’s Live at Sweden Rock Festival is a must-have.<\/p>\n

Please note that this review only covers the audio CD, not the DVD. According to the Triumph web site, the DVD also contains \u201cseveral bonus features, including the on site Triumph Press Conference, a cool \u201cbehind the scenes\u201d at the festival, and a photo gallery. And if that wasn\u2019t enough, included will be a full color 18 page booklet, including lyrics, credits, and photos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Genre: Classic Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nRik Emmett (vocals, guitars)
\nMike Levine (bass, keyboards)
\nGil Moore (vocals, drums)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tWhen The Lights Go Down
\n2.\tLay It On The Line
\n3.\tAllied Forces
\n4.\tNever Surrender
\n5.\tI Live For The Weekend
\n6.\tBlinding Light Show \/ Moon Child
\n7.\tRocky Mountain Way
\n8.\tMagic Power
\n9.\tRock & Roll Machine
\n10.\t Fight The Good Fight<\/p>\n

Label: Frontiers Records<\/p>\n

Website: www.triumphmusic.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis – Columnist — Triumph defined hard rock for many fans in the 1970s and 1980s, and this Canadian trio holds a special place in the minds and hearts of many a rocker. […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6772],"tags":[1104,374],"class_list":{"0":"post-23434","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2012","7":"tag-classic-rock","8":"tag-frontiers-records"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23434"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23434\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}