Past relics are truly hard to come by, especially the old players out of the British Metal scene of the late 70s and early 80s. It was noted that in the 90s, the vast majority of these bands went down under, ceasing to exist. However, with the rude awakening of the old British scene in the first decade of the new millennium, these retired mementos started showing up again, reissuing old material, which include demos, EPs, singles and even recording new material from scratch. SPARTA is one in a line of bands, out of the many others of their period, that eventually survived the test of time and resurfaced. Earlier on the magazine reviewed their debut "Welcome To Hell", via High Roller Records, which received quite a positive response. Near the end of the previous year, the band released their second album, "No Retreat, No Surrender", via an indie label called Suspect Records, a proof that they are still up and about.

Whether through their sound or music, it is quite evident that SPARTA never left the early 80s. In a way it rather shows of a certain conviction, not sliding their previous legacy away, clinging to the higher purpose of British Metal music. I believe that it is a cause for admiration as others similar to their status have already embraced the current traits of the music and its sound. On "No Retreat, No Surrender" brought back to the table the old abridged rhythm guitar riffs that never seem to die, intensive soloing that could only be mustered by British Metal driven musicianship and the general excitement of nostalgia of a period of time that will never return in its full shape.

However, in this particular case, the downsize upscaled the advantages that this release offered. Let's start from the vocals. Honestly I have no idea how the band's previous vocalist sounded, yet I have to admit that maybe Karl Reders wasn't the rightful decision. Sure that his voice is rather similar to the vocalists of that ancient era in Metal music, but I trust that the listeners, including myself on occasion, are looking for that emotive edge that barely exists here. The end result is an anemic vocalist with what would appear as lack of passion. Second, there are the guitar soloing. In general, great work on those solos, especially that short guitar leads that really took me by the hand, leading me into a better place. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but notice that several of those solos sounded as if they were improvised right there on the spot when the album was recorded. It is either a plus or minus situation, but at times those reminded of a babble. Lastly, the songwriting on its whole is rather cold and no more than decent, repetitive at times. The choruses for instance are rudimentary, not overly exciting but digging deep enough to retain a shred of memory. Frankly, I never expected any modernized contraptions, however, even an ultra-old school band can find those pieces of exhilaration that could grab the listener by the neck.

The NWOBHM epic "Flight of the Storm King" is somewhat SPARTA in an upper level, composing a song that is above the average. There are a few timing errors within the song, but the general overview is quite good. "Victory" is a classic anthem example that is over the top, a tune out of the golden age of the movement, clearly a foundation for the band to rely on. "Stand Up For Heavy Rock and Metal" could have been a KISS song, though in Rock or Metal the British version came first in comparison to the American directives, SPARTA never felt more Americanized with this one. A monotonous tune, but will keep you running with it and even still hearing its echoes after its end.

The general feel is that even with their vast experience, SPARTA needs to do a slight fine tuning. I admire them for sticking to their musical beliefs, not a common notion among these bands, yet they need a stronger edge in their songwriting and amassing a much powerful and energetic front.