Stephen
'L.A.Crossfire' is an obscure melodic rock disc that's brought out by Retrospect Records, a label that's specializing in taking out demos and songs that were stored in the basement years ago. This one's truly a gem, shame they didn't get any decent deals because Hunter and the gang deserved more recognition and quality album like this should have at least gold status and couple of radio hits.
The midtempo opener, 'Never Surrender', is an example of how the band could write such an astonishing tune. Poor track selection might be another reason some labels didn't pay much attention to them, because when one's heard the second and third track, they knew right away that it's a filler throw away materials. 'One More Night On The Road' is simply brilliant, I can picture this to be heavily rotated on MTV with every girls in town cheering and litting candles for them everytime this one's played live. 'Break Down The Walls' has some nice riffs and excellent solo, the chorus is a blast as well.
'Long Nights' is reminiscent of classic Survivor hit, driven by a slick keyboard sound. 'Now That I Found You' is another great ballad with a neat solo slipped near the end. 'Don't Put Out The Fire' is a wonderful keys-driven uptempo tune, and the rest are spread between average to good, with 'The Last Gunslinger' being the worst track here.
I love this album, glad it's brought back alive by Retrospect, and despite several passable tracks, this album deserved a solid 80% rating, and recommended for fans of melodic rock and AOR.