Matakopas

This is a swell little chunk of US Heavy Metal by way of New York circa 1987. Every song is pretty well crafted and I'm a little shocked that they never released any other material besides this because it holds up rather well. They even have gang vocals on some of the choruses which is totally bitchin'. You can hear everything pretty distinctly in the mix even though the production isn't top notch. There's great drumming on this as well as some solid guitar work. I'd put this album right up there with any Leatherwolf release...easily.

Coming Out Ahead

Titan Force

You may recognize the lead singer of this band from other better known acts such as Jag Panzer or Riot. Not many people talk about Titan Force at all and that's kind of weird imho. I'm a huge Fates Warning guy and when I first heard this effort I couldn't shake the feeling that I was listening to Ray Alder on a lost FW album. So right off the bat you know you're gonna get soaring vocals and progressive heavy metal... There's something else at work here though. The first 2 tracks have a very sinister element to them. Titan Force may sound like other bands and I'll be damned if they don't have the hook writing capability of a White Lion and a little glimmers of Iron Maiden peppered here and there. What's not to like? It's a very enjoyable effort and just catchy as hell. Get this now.

Winner/Loser