Stephen
'What the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve' - i guess that saying that was found in the backside of the front sleeve pretty sum up what Banshee did with their full length debut, 'Race Against Time'. Merged from couple of energetic live band of the Midwest, Banshee delivered a raw and prowling melodic metal performance which derived from the likes of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, but also kick in some naughty bluesy touch of the early days Whitesnake. It's a pity the record came out too late, if this was released somewhere in 1984, Banshee's audience might be much bigger than this, and probably share some huge stage with Dokken and Ratt.
Two unmistakably highly talented personnel that's backing up the whole Banshee entity are the superb wailing of frontman Tommy Lee Flood and the thunderous guitar slash of Terry Dunn. Counting out two short-passage instrumental, 'Race Against Time' is comprised of two fast-paced power metal tunes, a power ballad, and a mix bag of infectious melodic metal piece. That title track is among the big winner of the album. The other interesting thing that surely can't be missed are 'All Alone', 'Call of The Wild', and 'Drive Like Hell'. Try cranking up the volume as loud as you can when you listen to the latter, and be prepared to be stunned by Flood's sweeping scream.
'Shoot Down The Night' is probably their most fave tune, but I don't think it's their best track here. In fact, the power metal tunes are their greatest. The ballad, 'Missing You', is quite good, an okay result if compared to the dreadful 'Desire'. If you like some Whitesnake touch, then 'Precious Metal' and 'Get It On The Run' should be familiar to your ears. Overall, this is a nice buy, a nice historical piece of what's left from the late 80s, and I still find time for an occasional spin from time to time, especially when I'm speeding the highway and drive like hell.