UMUR "Winner/Looser" is the second full-length studio album by US, Colorado based power/heavy metal act Titan Force. The album was released through the small German label U.S. Metal Records in 1991. It´s the successor to the eponymously titled debut album from 1989. Titan Force were formed in 1983 by the three Flores brothers Mario (guitars), John (bass), and Stefan (drums) under the Titan monicker but changed their name to the current one in 1987. At that point the Flores brothers had added guitarist/keyboard player Bill Richardson and former Jag Panzer lead vocalist Harry Conklin to the ranks. The band released no less than five demo tapes from 1985-1989 before being signed to the U.S. Metal Records label for the release of the debut album.

The lineup is unchanged since the debut album, but the harmony wouldn´t last for long, as U.S. Metal Records lost patience with Titan Force as a consequence of poor album sales, and cancelled the recording contract. Titan Force did subsequently manage a short tour in Germany with Anvil, and recorded a demo in 1994, which they shipped to labels in hopes that someone would be interested, but unfortunately no label showed interest and when lead vocalist Harry Conklin decided to jump ship and return to his former band Jag Panzer, Titan Force faced too many problems to continue full steam. When tragedy struck in 1998 with the suicide of guitarist/keyboard player Bill Richardson, the three Flores brothers disbanded Titan Force.

The material on "Winner/Looser" continues in the melodic US power metal style that Titan Force initiated on their debut album. It´s a slightly more diverse release than the debut album, but also similar in many ways. The music features a hard pounding and clever playing rhythm section, skilled guitar work (both riffs, themes, and solos are quite brilliant), and in front a world class lead vocalist in Harry Conklin. Conklin can sing helium high pitched vocals, but he is just as comfortable singing in lower registers (although he mainly sings really high pitched on this release). His performance in "Winner/Looser" is commanding, passionate, and quite frankly jaw-dropping superior.

Stylistically the material on the album inhabits a similar melodic US power metal space as late 80s/early 90s releases by artists like Crimson Glory, Lethal, and Mystic Force did, and for fans of that type of US power metal (the melodic sort with a touch of progressive metal), "Winner/Looser", and the debut album by Titan Force, are more or less mandatory listening material. It´s beyond me how they managed to fly so low under the radar, that they didn´t at least achive some sort of breakthrough, but maybe the time and place just weren´t right. There are of course thousands of similar stories throughout music history, but that doesn´t make this one any less sad. At least Titan Force are retrospectively recognised as one of the sub-top melodic US power metal artists from the era. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Titan Force" is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by US, Colorado based power/heavy metal act Titan Force. The album was released through the small German label U.S. Metal Records in September 1989. Titan Force was formed in 1983 by the three Flores brothers Mario (guitars), John (bass), and Stefan (drums) under the Titan monicker but changed their name to the current one in 1987. At that point the Flores brothers had added guitarist/keyboard player Bill Richardson and former Jag Panzer lead vocalist Harry Conklin to the ranks. The band released no less than five demo tapes from 1985-1989 before being signed to the U.S. Metal Records label for the release of the debut album.

The material on the album is melodic US power/heavy metal written and performed by a skillful and very well playing band. The instrumental performances are sharp and powerful but also sophisticated and clever, and with a premier league singer like Conklin fronting the music, "Titan Force" is an album reeking class. This is music for fans of early Queensrÿche, John Arch-era Fates Warning, and especially for fans of Crimson Glory. Conklin´s powerful high pitched singing style is nothing short of amazing, but the occasionally more gritty notes are a great touch too. There aren´t many of those moments, but when they appear they provide the vocal part of the music with just a little edge and attitude.

The tracks feature a wealth of all the things fans of melodic US power/heavy metal typically enjoy. The incredibly high pitched and powerful vocals have been mentioned above, but the vocal melodies themselves are also very strong and memorable, the guitar riffs, harmonies, and leads are varied and sharp, the occasional use of keyboards is tasteful and always well placed in the context of a track, and the rhythm section is both hard pounding and sophisticated in their choice of beats and bass notes.

The sound production is a bit sterile and also a little disjointed as the drums sometimes sound like they aren´t produced to suit the guitar tone, and the latter is also a little too low in the mix. It´s not serious production issues though, and personally I enjoy how the album is produced with all instruments and vocal parts clearly audible in the mix. Upon conclusion "Titan Force" is a high quality US power/heavy metal release, and for fans of the style I´m inclined to call this a mandatory listen. It´s certainly not the quality of their music, which is the reason why Titan Force never had much commercial success and are seldom mentioned among the great US power/heavy metal artists like the above mentioned similar sounding acts. They are typically mentioned along acts like Lethal, Mystic Force, and Heir Apparent (all great acts but seldom counted among the seminal artists in the US power/heavy metal style), but to my ears they are almost up there with the greatest. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.