Stephen
When TNT promised the fans that the new album will have a lot of classic hooks that made them popular, it's a big relief since I was vastly disappointed with their two prior albums with Tony Mills. As I start the "Engine", opening track for their twelfth studio album (also the alternate album title for US release), I doubt their earlier statement as this track is still in a modern environment, non-80s downtuned hooks, and lack of strong melody. The second track, "Refugee", is getting better, TNT started to touch their classic territory, however the chorus is kinda flat, but overall a good track.
Ronni Le Tekrø, guitarist and mastermind of the band, did a fantastic job of twisting the album with multitude variety of songs that will make the listeners keep guessing, what type or style will they cranked up next. "Ship In The Night" is a smart combo of modern flavor, melodic rock, and mischievous solos. "Barracuda" is an aggressive rock with nifty chorus. "Don't Misunderstood Me" can be their 80s hit if it was released in "Intuition", but this one is a superior track which I think is the best here. "Someone Else" is pretty similar and another strong offering of the band. The title track is pure heavy metal beast with sensational riffs.
Despite those high-rank tracks, "A Farewell To Arms" still suffers with several fillers such as "Woman, Take It Like A Man", heavy track with Queen's flair but too average, "Come" and "Not Only Lonely" are totally disposable, and "Got Natt, Marie" is a good ballad but forgettable. At least, TNT's promise to resurrect their 80s glorious days is fulfilled, still many holes need to be filled, but a good reconstruction progress so far and much better compared to "Atlantis" and "The New Territory".