Album Review by Mark Bayross
Bradford’s finest, Terrorvision, have always been more than keen to rise to the challenge of occupying that blurry middle ground between pop and rock. That sentiment was obviously not shared by EMI, who unceremoniously dropped them faster than a flaming brick in 1999 at the sight of the apparent omnipotence of nappy-wetters like Westlife.
Well, it’s a new century, and something wonderful seems to have happened. Homegrown rock acts like Feeder, Ash and Muse are competing for chart positions with US nu-metallers like Limp Bizkit and Papa Roach, and Top Of The Pops has suddenly become watchable again. Poor old EMI – they should have had a little more faith, really…
Fortunately, Terrorvision have been snapped up by Papillon Records, and, no doubt spurred on by a combination of the current trendiness of guitar music and the desire to heave a decisive two fingers up to their old record company, the plucky foursome have thrown just about every weapon imaginable into their comeback arsenal (hideous cover art aside).
GOOD TO GO, their fifth album, is the sound of a band that have the confidence of an avid fan-base and a string of hit singles behind them. The opening D’YA WANNA GO FASTER (also the first single off the record) is a techno-rock stomper that sets the agenda from the outset. They may as well have called it “Up Yours EMI”.
Of course, this is Terrorvision, so belted-out rockers like ALONE, COME HOME BEANIE and DAYS LIKE THESE will hardly come as a surprise. But there’s enough variety here to keep the attention – from the expletive-chorused punkiness of FRIENDS AND FAMILY to stadium rock weepie FROM OUT OF NOTHING.
They also manage a kind of Sergio Leone / funk pastiche on FISTS OF FURY and a female-backed singalong on UNHAPPY MILLIONAIRE But bizarrely, one of the best songs isn’t even credited – SPOILING EVERYTHING is hidden at the end of the last track and is a soaring, piano-led send-off of epic proportions – I WILL SURVIVE gone calypso-rock.
Terrorvision were in danger of becoming known more for Tony Wright’s gormless appearances on “Never Mind The Buzzcocks”. Here they reclaim their position as one of this country’s truly entertaining guitar-slingers.
