Following the extremely warm reception given his self-named band's well-deserving debut album, , figured there was no point in messing with a winning formula, and decided to play it safe with 1984's sophomore effort, -- with distinctly mixed results. Although technically cut from the same cloth as those first album nuggets, fist-pumping new songs like and curiously went from good to tiresome after just a few spins (a sign that the songwriting cliches were starting to pile up...read on); and the otherwise awesome, seven-minute epic, inexplicably lost it's strikingly sinister main riff halfway through, in what sounds like a mastering snafu of some kind. On the upside, more dramatic, mid-paced numbers such as the title track, -- as well as the driving -- delivered enough compelling riffs and melodies to outweigh 's once endearing, but now increasingly troublesome repetition of words like "rainbow," "fire," and "stone" in seemingly every song. Finally, the distinctly more commercial pairing of heavy rocker and the power ballad/single gave undisguised notice (along with the slightly sleeker production throughout and more generous keyboards from new member ) of 's intention to broaden their audience by tapping into the rising tide of pop-metal. This would bring dire circumstances on their next album, , but despite the telltale signs of decline cited above, anyone who loved will likely enjoy nearly as much. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia