PIERCE is a Metal band formed in 1979 in New Jersey, USA. They released two albums in 1989 and 1990, but a tragic car accident soon after literally killed their career. "III The Anthology" is a retrospective to their two studio albums. There are two CDs and a total of 21 tracks. One look at the song titles might hold a clue to their early sound...they are trite, familiar, and cliché phrases without a lot of substance. Being a big fan of this sound during this timeframe, I am surprised that I had not previously heard of this band. I suppose the two back-to-back releases followed by the car accident may have made their time in music just too short to be noticed, in the veritable sea of bands that were signed in this style. Taking in both albums as a whole is easily digested because the writing is simple and one-riff based. In addition, because they albums were released so closely together, there isn't any noticeable musical growth from one to the next. This is not necessarily criticism but rather reflective of this style of music at that time.

The songs were fun, and the vocals were strong for the most point, though sharp at times. The level of musicianship is about where you would expect it to be and there are not any surprises. The occasional "power ballad" appears here and there as well. Some high points on the first CD would include the raucous track "Danger," complete with high running vocal harmonies and a shredding guitar solo with plenty of obligatory squeals, the RATT or DOKKEN -esqe riff in "Tell Me You're In Love," the slower, more emotional "Hit And Run" with strongly crafted melodies, and the down and dirty sound of "Screams In The Night." Some highlights from the second CD include the anthemic power of "Metal Soldiers," the strong cover of "Turn The Page," which does duty to the original while keeping its own identity, the acoustical led sad sound of "Blackmail," the soul that they put into "It's Only Love," and the get-up-and-go energy of "Come The Night."

Overall this was a mildly interesting listening experience that harkens back to a time where this sound dominated the radio waves and television. But they did nothing to really separate themselves from the plethora of peers in this genre, which may have accounted for their relative obscurity. Had they hit a major label in 1992 it may not have mattered, as Glam/Traditional Metal at that time was about to get completely stomped out by the advent of Grunge. Fans of RATT, DOKKEN, or even early JUDAS PRIEST or AC/DC may find this to their liking however, but it just didn't do it for me.