Stephen Another Retrospect reissue gem in 2005, shot straight out of 1984, the obscure melodic metal quintet in the veins of RATT, Dokken, and Keel, produced two albums under Greenworld/Kondor records. The first one is "Afraid of The Dark" EP and the other one is full length studio, "Prepared To Strike", and what was once sold in the market for a ridiculuous price, now can be obtained for a reasonable price, two records packed in one album.

Looking at the original year of its release, you know what you'll expect. Roaring guitars, some high pitch screaming, thick harmonies, wild solos, and stuffs like that. Christy Black sure can't lie about RATT's influences here, his voice is reminiscent of Stephen Pearcy most of the times, and some tracks like "I'm Not Waiting" or "Can't Stop Dreamin'" are definitely in the same league with songs from "Out of The Cellar".

"Diamonds" is a pure explosive heavy metal tune with some great riffage all over the song, but "Dealer" is even better. The song is probably the heaviest track here and Black's hellish scream is the song's higlight. "Cold As A Stone" is flashy as diamond, commercial melodic rock, and highly potential to become radio hit. "She's Nasty", "Drivin' Me Insane", and "Time Flies" from the EP are another personal favorites.

But I must admit, not all tracks are listenable. "Daddy's Girl" or "Nighttime Is Wild" might be an acceptable fillers, but "Runnin' With The Pack" or "Climbing Up The Walls" are totally confusing and their worst moment. Such a shame they didn't last for at least another couple of albums like Icon or Hurricane for example. Though most of the songs aren't as great as the first class melodic metal heroes like Dokken or Ratt, "Prepared To Strike" is pretty awesome and undoubtedly a keeper in my book.