Caught in the Trap (Reissue)
Lynx
•
February 2, 2015

One thing I've often wondered with Swedish bands is what their music sounded like back in the 20th century as there must have been something back then that started the revolution of brilliant music we get today in the 21st century. Today I get to find out by reviewing a reissue of a 1985 release from a band called LYNX.
The album in this review is LYNX's ONLY release before they split and the album in question is called "Caught in the Trap" which is reissued this month by Greek label No Remorse Records and because this is an album released 30 years ago by a band who probably split up soon after the release, finding information on them is a bit of a no-go so we'll dive straight into the review instead.
The original release contained 9 songs but this reissued version contains 3 extra bonus tracks which is a good idea as you get what you pay for plus this is the only time the album has been on CD as well so that's another reason to include extra content. If there's one thing I'm expecting from the sound on this album is for it to sound retro and old school as this was a 1980's release after all and sure enough it does sound like that but whether or not it was remastered for this reissued version is a mystery even to me.
It may sound old-school but the delivery of some of the melodies on a few songs actually sound quite heavy which is a clear indication that back then, bands were still delivering heavy music and the keyboards sound very melodic also and I can also detect a bit of Progressive Rock in the keyboard melodies as well. The bass guitar sounds quite cool too and the drums don't sound too bad either even if the sound is a bit retro but that doesn't really matter too much when you bear in mind the decade it was released in.
The only thing I can find wrong on this is the vocals which are not too bad but there were singers back then who did sound better and although the delivery is quite punchy and quite powerful which I will give the singer points for but the quality of the performance does put me off a bit but thankfully the music makes up for it even if the pacing does sound a bit slow in places so personally I'd choose the faster songs over the slower ones.
Verdict time now and I've always been a bit wary of reissues of classic albums as often I prefer modern releases because they sound a bit better but there a few Classic Rock tunes which I enjoy listening to from time to time. As for this release, there are moments where I enjoyed it and moments where I was a bit unsure but overall, it's quite good and seeing this is the only CD release this album has had, it's worth picking up to add to your collection.
7 / 10
Good

"Caught in the Trap (Reissue)" Track-listing:
1. My Own Way
2. Win Or Lose
3. Fingers Crossed
4. Man Without A Face
5. Don't Fool Me
6. Final Race
7. Nothing In Return
8. Master Of Evil
9. Nightwalker
10. In The Night (live bonus track)
11. Keep On Loving Me (bonus track)
12. Race To Hell (bonus track)
Lynx Lineup:
Mats Eriksson - Vocals
Per Larsson - Guitars
Kauno Vaattovaara - Bass
Mats Hermasson - Keyboards
Carl Moser - Drums
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