According to an episode of American Dad, if you have cotton mouth, life seems pretty good, and you genuinely enjoy Night Ranger, you’re probably under the influence of illegal substances. Assuming that’s true, I’ve been high most of my life because I LOVE Night Ranger. Not only do I love Night Ranger, but I fully believe they were the best AOR band of the 80s. With all due respect to Survivor and Loverboy, what gave Night Ranger the unfair edge was the twin guitar attack of Brad Gillis and Jeff Watson. They’re seldom mentioned these days, Gillis and Watson could go toe to toe with Tipton and Downing, Murray and Smith, or any other 80s metal guitar duo. They were that good.
It wasn’t just the six string heroics that put Night Ranger on top. It was their hooky melodies, genuine lyrics, and top notch musicianship, all wrapped up into a cocaine fueled ball of kickass. That ball continues to roll on their latest album, ATBPO (And the Band Played On). The same way Judas Priest adapted to modern metal while still maintaining their identity on Painkiller, Night Ranger did the same with modern hard rock on their 2011 release, Somewhere in California. Subsequent releases have relied on this formula, as does ATBPO. These 21st century nuances show within the production and arrangements, but the spirit within is purely 80s.
Like every Night Ranger album before it, ATBPO consists of three different types of songs. You’ve got pedal to the metal headbangers, obligatory ballads, and no frills melodic rock n’ rollers. The majority of ATBPO falls into the “no frills melodic rock n’ roller” category. Remember the formula established on “Sing Me Away”? Big harmonious choruses, even bigger riffs, and an all around carefree attitude? This is exactly what carries cuts like “Bring It All Home to Me”, “Dance”, and “A Lucky Man”. These are countered by the honesty of “Can’t Afford a Hero” and “The Hardest Road”, which join a long lineage of Night Ranger power ballads.
Being the metalhead that I am, it’s no surprise that my choice cuts also happen to be the heaviest. “Monkey” boasts aggressive riffage that would fit right in on the band’s debut, Dawn Patrol, while the guitars and vocals on “Cold as December” are big and beefy, resembling Mk. II Deep Purple. Considering Night Ranger have paid tribute to Purple in the past, I’m sure the British legends’ underlying influence is no coincidence. All this said, the undisputed crown jewel of ATBPO is “Breakout”. A jaw dropping display of guitar fireworks at breakneck speed, “Breakout” is one of the finest old school 80s metal ragers to NOT be written in the 80s. I hope and pray it becomes a permanent fixture of the band’s selitst.
Does ATBPO stand up to the greatness that is Night Ranger’s first three albums? No, but it continues their winning streak of enjoyable melodic hard and heavy albums. Nearly 40 years later and Night Ranger are still motoring. Yeeeeeaaaahhhhhh motoriiinnnnngggggg!!!
7 out of 10
Label: Frontiers Records
Genre: AOR
For fans of: Survivor, Foreigner, Europe