Kirk Brandon has been making music for forty-five years and Spear of Destiny have released fifteen studio albums and he still tours to this day with them and Theatre of Hate.
With this album the band were on the rise with Brandon keen to move away from Theatre of Hate and you can hear his passion as his voice can screech, dominate, and project over his songs.
Rainmaker storms out with a screech and a big riff that becomes reflective at the midway point, but another screech takes us back in, a good album opener. The screeching is good, honest.
Drums are heavy throughout the album with Young Men set to almost a military beat throughout the song and Playground of the Rich is the big epic heartfelt number on the album, it works well.
Liberator should have been a huge hit all big drums, guitar and sax with the band dropping to a lower key as Brandon comes in and the chorus is just him and the drums, powerful still nearly forty years later. Prisoner of Love should have also done better chart wise with the sax enhancing the chorus although I am all saxed out by Forbidden Planet.
These Days Are Gone highlights Kirk’s powerful vocal and is a good song but could have been cut short by a minute or so.
The album ends with Rosie with Brandon over just drums with the band coming back to him in chorus and a lovely bass underlining the song. It’s a powerful end to a good album.
Spear of Destiny never became huge, but they certainly deserve to be mentioned.
7/10
GIVE IT A STREAM: Liberator