format: LP
year: 1988
country: Singapore
label: Life
#: HM 1917
info: Vinyl promo-version of the commercially available MC
style: Heavy Metal
Side A:
Side B:
First off a tip of the hat to Life Records for not short-changing us on the track list again - yes, completist collectors can rest easy, as opposed to the debut promo, we do get the full album in all its metallic glory this time around.
Their sophomore full-legth starts off strong with their fastest song to date. "Wira" has all the Speed, Heavy and Metal you could ask for in an opening track, and in a rare strike of mercy they don't break down and screw us with a schmallad on track #2, but instead presents an even stronger number, the heavy yet serene, almost Manilla Road-sounding "Seniman Agung". Despite the inclusion of some metallic riffing we'll fast-forward past the next ballad to That Song You'll Remember, i.e. the Arabian Nights-Metal gem and archetype "Ali Baba". It's basically "Holy Diver" on camelback and yes, it's exactly as cool as that sounds. Perhaps more a dealbreaker than another ballad is on the other hand the frustratingly mellow and lightweight hardrocker "Lagu Kedamaian" that closes the first side. It seems someone missed the PM explaining how you always put one of the strongest numbers on the album as the last song on side A - you know, to motivate the listener to get his/her ass off the couch and turn the record over once That Really Cool Song have ended?
Circumstances notwithstanding, we still flip sides and are first presented with another "Holy Diver"/Dio-influenced piece in "Berdikari". Together with the aforementioned "Ali Baba" it's the songs that most resembles the pounding, riff-centric style of their 2 previous releases. After the short instrumental interlude and likewise title track comes another Speed'ster and by Thor it's even stronger than track #1(!), in the style (and almost, class) of the the fastest of the early Anvil hits. As the very last Metal moment of the album comes strike #3 for Dio-worship, where "Jasa Tok Janggut" attacks with a structure so similar to "We Rock" it borders rip-off, maybe with the exception of the part in the middle that they nicked from Accept instead ...but honestly now, does this really sound like it could be a bad tune?