And we are back to 1985. The golden age of Heavy Metal music, a time to be remembered and cherished for generations to come. I am sure that there are plenty that deep down saying to themselves "If only...", yet nobody proved that you can actually go back in time and stay there, so let's at least indulge on the treasures left for us. The Dutch Heavy Metal band PICTURE, possibly the first Metal band in The Netherlands, in that same year has been running for almost seven years, changed its lineup several times, started incorporating a vocal line that isn't Dutch and proved itself. Divebomb Records, trailing previous issues of the band in the past, reissued "Traitor", second album for the British vocalist Pete Lovell with the Dutch Pack.

With the release of "Traitor", it would appear that PICTURE chose to taken on a rather rockier approach in comparison to the heavier outputs of "Eternal Dark" and the previous "Diamond Dreamer". Of course that the band has always been in the line of sight of Rock within their Traditional Metal, being bred in the 70s, yet "Traitor" emphasized quite clearly than before. Within the songwriting I found various elements of QUEEN / FREE / JUDAS PRIEST and RAINBOW (with Graham Bonnet), factors that were quite pleasing, ascertaining the album as melodic, hooking and vocally highly harmonic. I believe that this is one of Lovell's best vocal works with the band, taking a strong stance as a dominant singer, even a bit more than his predecessor, though I am a huge fan of the "Diamond Dreamer" album. Furthermore, the lead guitar work is a sheer 70s attack with early 80s sparkles while the riffages were quite basic but with catchier notes that couldn't be forgotten. Honestly, there are even various Pop orientations clasping the songs, nothing of the cheap kind though. I trust that there was a purpose to penetrate the eyes and ears of additional audiences that weren't necessarily Metal fans. On the other hand, when push came to shove, PICTURE never forgot that they were a Metal band and knew how to speed things up and crush in their own classic way.

"Loud N' Proud" is my album's anthem. With a main melodic riff that is between ACCEPT and JUDAS PRIEST, this is a hymn for Metalheads to rejoice, taking a strong hold from the sweet 70s. Such a pride to listen to this 32 years old classic gem. The self-titled tune is the album's most varied, crossing between Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, sweeping in a classy form that is surreal. "Lost in the Night" is the album's speed demon, wild and on fire, crushing with larger than life guitar solos and twin guitar melodies which might have given pointers to the emerging HELLOWEEN. As the top of the bonus tracks, there is an updated version of the early hit "Bombers", which was originally recorded for the band's debut. Solid proofs that the band came much stronger in five years and their choice of vocals was well made.

Respect your roots and make time to listen to this release. PICTURE is one of the key aspects of Metal's legacy and they should be respected. "Traitor" is one of their better albums and an emblem to others that came after it.