Kev Rowland
‘Encore’ was recorded during TNT’s headlining set at Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan on April 30, 2017 and is currently the final live footage of the band with singer Tony Harnell. Given that this is the third time he has left the band no-one can be really sure he won’t be back, to be fair, but TNT need him as although many may think that guitarist Ronni Le Tekrø is the one who really matters, and while he and drummer Diesel Dahl have been there since the very beginning back in 1982, it is Harnell who provides the class. His voice is amazing, and he is the one who lifts the band, as to be honest most of their numbers are fairly forgettable, but when he is fronting them then he takes them to a whole new level.
I’ve lost count of how many live albums Frontiers have released recently, but you have to admire the commercial nous which got them to set up a festival just for their bands and then record all of them. Here the sound levels and production are perfect, with the right levels and mix throughout. This time around it is the lack of great songs which lets down the band, but they have been in the business for the best part of 40 years, so maybe it’s just me. I don’t think I’ll ever be a fan of TNT, but Tony Harnell? Boy, that guy can sing.