1992 was not a good year to be a melodic hard rock act. As MTV and rock radio shifted gears towards the plaid-clad sounds of Seattle, any band who boasted singalong choruses, arena rock riffs, and an androgynous wardrobe were dead in the water. Subsequently, there were far too many cases of “right place, wrong time”, amongst them being Lionsheart’s eponymous debut, WildSide’s Under the Influence, and Bangalore Choir’s On Target, just to name a few. There’s no telling how many times platinum these albums could’ve gone had they hit shelves even just two years earlier, but again, that’s neither here nor there.
In the years since the release of these albums, many are now revered today as cult classics, with Bangalore Choir’s debut being no exception. Fronted by David Reece, the man faced with the colossal task of filling Udo Dirkschneider’s shoes in Accept, Bangalore Choir were a glam metal-AOR hybrid, capable of penning songs of the same caliber as such giants like Whitesnake and Dokken. Don’t believe me? Get a load of songs like “Loaded Gun”, “Angel in Black”, and “All or Nothin'” and tell me otherwise with a straight face. That’s what I thought.
Although Bangalore Choir have released new music in the years since On Target (check out our review of 2023’s Center Mass), I guess they felt they never properly followed up their debut, because holy electric boogaloo, Batman, today we’re reviewing Rapid Fire Succession: On Target Part II. Now there are aspects of this release that confuse me. For one, aren’t the last few albums in the same musical vein as On Target to begin with? Furthermore, is this implying that On Target was some sort of glam metal concept extravaganza I was unaware of? I’m sure Reece can answer all these inquiries and more, but until then, I’m faced with another Bangalore Choir album, and like all the others before it, it rocks.
True to its “sequel” presentation, the opening song on here, “How Does It Feel”, boasts the same opening riff as the aforementioned “Angel in Black”, which I guess helps define the parameters of the album. Rapid Fire Succession is both a revisitation of the musical and lyrical motifs that made its predecessor so beloved, as well as a continuation of such. The songs vary stylistically between anthemic Whitesnakian hard rock (“Driver’s Seat”, “Love and War”, “Prisoner”), AOR balladry (“The Light”, “I Never Meant To”), and the obligatory trad metal forays (“Bullet Train”, “Blinded by Fire in the Sky”), yet remain consistent throughout, all adhering to that old school ’80s ethos.
Now did this album need to be 16 songs long? Absolutely not, especially when the original On Target was nearly half the runtime with 10 songs of all killer, no filler melodic hard rock bliss. I’m chalking this up to the usual CD-filling shenanigans that follows these types of retro acts today, but at least in this case, even the lesser cuts aren’t a complete bust. Just like its spiritual predecessor Rapid Fire Succession is nostalgic, uber-melodic, and larger than life. It’s most certainly a worthy sequel, and that’s more than other acts of the era can say (looking at you Operation: Mindcrime II), so let’s leave a good thing be unless we’re dead sure about a trilogy…please?
7 out of 10
Label: Bravewords Records
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: Whitesnake, Dokken, TNT