Everyone remembers Eye Of The Tiger. What a hit! This track is one of the most known Hard Rock/AOR tracks of all times. Many years have passed since then... Survivor are still alive and are rocking like a hurricane. After having a taste of the record, I came up with a question. How can they still do this???
Survivor have always been a radio friendly band. Unfortunately, they never achieved repeating the success they had with Eye Of The Tiger, which had reached No. 1 position on both sides of the Atlantic ocean. Following the release of Caught In The Game (1983), frontman Dave Bickler was replaced by Jimi Jamison. The new frontman brought the band back on track with some hit singles. Various things happened and Survivor went through some lineup changes to reach their current form. The year 2006 finds them reclaiming their lost glory with Reach.
This album seems to be their most commercial one. As a wise man once said: This is the soundtrack to your fireplace. It's full of melodic rhythms, catchy choruses and the guitar is playing the most important role in the tracks. You can also find the record's essential ballads. Is there any melodic Rock release without ballads out there? I don't think so... Survivor continue on the well-known path of love, optimism and rejection. Compositions like One More Chance or Half Of My Heart are the best example.
I listened to the record carefully to be able to judge it and I can say that I was very confused about what I was going to write. First of all, I must say that while listening to Reach, I didn't get tired at all. In fact it was very pleasant to my ears. But that's the problem. It seems that Survivor cry out for some attention. Not that they don't deserve any, but it's time for them to relax and enjoy the glory of their past. I don't want to see one of the most historic Rock bands ruining its fame! Although this release isn't bad at all.
I am still thinking what the musical value of Reach must be. Hmmm, it's very good, but not Survivor. The only thing I have to say is purchase, listen and judge for yourselves...