Never Surrender

After years of incessant touring behind a number of gold and platinum records, Triumph had successfully earned their stripes as Canada's second most popular power trio behind the mighty Rush -- so what? The two were Canada's only power trios. The fact of the matter is that despite their best efforts, the guys in Triumph couldn't escape the shadow of their fellow countrymen and signs of frustration really began to show on the group's sixth album, 1983's Never Surrender. Right from the get-go, the group seems to be going through the motions, and even driving rockers like "Too Much Thinking" and "Writing on the Wall" emanate a palpable lack of enthusiasm. In fact, except for "When the Lights Go Down" (whose massive blues riff just barely makes up for its terribly clichéd lyrics), the fire is often missing from drummer Gil Moore's normally dependable contributions, most notably on the tedious "Battle Cry." Likewise, "A World of Fantasy" is the kind of Rik Emmett-penned radio single fans had come to expect, but its tired formula and vocal harmonies reminiscent of Styx simply fall short of previous offerings. The normally laid-back guitarist does show signs of life on the energetic "All the Way," but the title track, no matter how memorable, bears an uncomfortable resemblance to "Fight the Good Fight" from the band's previous album, Allied Forces. Three instrumental interludes of little consequence are also spread across the album in a thinly veiled time-consuming ploy, proving that Triumph's endurance and inspiration were beginning to fade away.