Triumph

Triumph's career was an ongoing power struggle between its two singers, and after taking a back seat to guitarist Rik Emmett on the previous year's Just a Game, drummer Gil Moore fought back to a nervous draw on 1980's Progressions of Power. Kicked off by "I Live for the Weekend," one of his most relentless rockers, the album made up for its lack of obvious hits with one of the group's most consistent collection of songs. With their more melodic style, Emmett contributions like "In the Night" and the ultra-schmaltzy ballad "Take My Heart" slow things down a bit, but remain surprisingly restrained, avoiding the progressive rock exaggerations of the past. Instead, Progressions of Power finds the usually less inventive Moore trying to beat the guitarist at his own game with competent singles like "I Can Survive" and "Woman in Love." "Tear the Roof Off" is another furious Moore highlight, and Emmett closes the album in solid fashion with one of his best solo guitar showcases, "Finger Talkin'" (the guitarist insisted on including a solo piece in every record, often with yawn-inducing results), and another surprisingly gutsy performance in "Hard Road." ~ Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide