The 80s was a time of sex, drugs, and rock and roll..when the hair was large, the clothes were extravagant, tight, and sometimes also large and peacock-ish...a time when rock reigned supreme in the music world and everyone wanted to be free and for their music to fight the power. Having never lived through the 80s I can only speak of the history I know and the music my parents showed me as a child. However, when listening to Barceloningham by StOp, sToP! I can't help but feel as if I am right in the 80s. Listening to them I can't help but think of artists such as VAN HALEN, AC/DC, or MOTLEY CRUE among many others, feeling as if StOp, sToP! channels each and every one of them into their music while remaining their own blend of glam metal and hard rock.  I must admit, I feel a bit bad because their music is great for what it is but it is not my cup of tea, but despite the fact I largely prefer subgenres of metal such as death and black metal I did find myself thoroughly enjoying some of their songs. Even then, they clearly have talent that is visible throughout the album, and anyone who wants to have a nostalgic trip through 80s rock should just sit back and blast this album as loud as they want.

The album itself starts strong with what I consider the anthemic blast from the 80s that is "Won't Hold Me Back." The song overall is very good, having everything including solid vocals, good guitar, a drum beat that you can easily nod along to, and very solid bass work. The song's lyrics conjure classic images of rebelling against an authority who seems to ban everything, including expression and discourse from what is the norm. To give an example, at this date "Won't Hold Me Back" is the only song to have received an official music video from Barceloningham on StOp, sToP!'s official Youtube channel, and the video is of a literal black sheep who strays from the pack, drinks beer, plays rock, and is topped off with an anarchist logo. The lyrics combined with the video give a very clear image that the song is about rebelling against authorities that want to brainwash you into submission. Overall a very good song from the album however. "Over & Out" continues on well, and overall the song feels more structured to me. The guitar riffs feel better placed, the drum tempo feels more appropriate, Jacob A.M. feels like his vocals are in a more comfortable range while still reaching for the high notes in appropriate place, and overall the individual components just seem to mesh better. Once the album reaches "Little Fighter", things slow down. The song plays much like a balladic love song, and, quite honestly, this is one of the songs I enjoyed most on the album. The tune fits very well, and even when the more standard "rock" sound breaks out later on the song, it is still able to maintain the feeling it had conjured earlier at the beginning. The best way to describe it in one sentence is as "That song you would hear during a halftime show in the 80s that would make people lock arms and raise lighters in the air", and this is quite a good thing. The guitar solos are very well structured, the riffs are strong, the bass work definitely creates a more mellow tone, and Jacob A.M.'s vocals do have a sort of strength in them that you can hear most clearly in this song. My only complaint for the song would be some instances where he seems to try to force his voice to do things that sound like they are a bit uncomfortable for his vocals. Regardless, though it is one of the slowest songs I consider it one of my favorites.

"Out the Fire," "Into the Frying" becomes a bit unusual as while everything else is much more akin to the height of 80s rock, this song plays more like a rock song one might hear at a jukebox at a diner, even including a much more prominent and "perkier" bass, for lack of a better term. The song itself is alright, personally not a highlight or lowlight of the album, but it does feel slightly off compared to the rest of the album, as if other creative ideas made this song. "Spanish Fly" is another song I would consider to be in my top three for the album. The thing that stands out most for me that makes the song for me is the guitar work. The guitar feels far more prominent in this song, and the riffs are some of my favorites in the album. Beyond this, the song has what I consider the best guitar solo in the album. It feels more fleshed out, and though it is short I still felt that it was well placed and also more impactful than some of the other solos in the album. However, going through this album I have to mention Johnny Ten-Men. Everything about this song just seems a step above, and everyone seemed to have stepped up their game for that song. Vega's guitar work seemed more captivating and intense, the bass seemed to have a life of it's own without clashing with everything else, Jacob A.M.'s vocals were strong again and he was still able to reach for the high notes, and Danny StiX was able to create a strong and fast beat that kept everything together and was able to help make the song a coherent and beautifully structured piece of greatness. While I still greatly enjoyed Little Fighter, this song definitely contests it for my favorite of the album.

As I said, while Glam Metal and Hard Rock are generally not my cup of tea, which is to say I normally never listen to them and generally listen to Death Metal, I found myself greatly enjoying some of the songs on here. I would recommend at least a listen to anyone, but I highly recommend this to people who lived through and/or love the era of rock that existed in the 80s and wants a blast from the past that comes in the form of a modern and unique band. My greatest complaint might be the times where Jacob A.M. tries to force his voice to do things that his voice doesn't appear accustomed to, but overall everything is very cohesive, and the most likely direction for the band to go from here is up, which is exactly where I expect them to go. Overall, Barceloningham was an unexpected album in its ability to provide songs for me to enjoy as I tend to be rather picky in the kind of metal I like, and the unique blend of glam metal and hard rock is sure to be something people will enjoy and find a modern sense of nostalgia from.