Disturbing The Peace

Alcatrazz

HNE Recordings Ltd., 1985

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatrazz

REVIEW BY: Mark Kadzielawa

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/02/2017

Alcatrazz had all it took to make it, but they never quite hit the big time. In many ways, they were too good for their own sake. And they weren't the only band whose career was unfulfilled. my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 Disturbing The Peace was their second album, and their first (and only) featuring Steve Vai. After losing Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Graham Bonnett and the crew brought in yet another distinguished player. Vai wasn't known at the time in the hard rock world, but he sure had the chops. Musically, Disturbing The Peace is a very solid dose of traditional hard rock. The songs are catchy and well written. Vai gives the band a little bit of a different twist, but in a grand scheme of things, his individuality already shines.

The big question is why Alcatrazz never made it big. The band had two significant guitar players who went on to define what word guitar mean in the1980s. Graham Bonnett had an established top ten voice. The songs were good, the production was good, yet the band failed to catch on, and in the end they became only an obscure act.

There were several reissues of this record, but this one by far is the best! Not only do you get the album with bonus tracks, but there is another disc with only instrumental demos. And if that wasn't enough, there is a DVD with band's full concert from 1984 in Tokyo. This was originally released on video tape only in Japan. There never was an official release of this concert on DVD until now; it only existed on bootlegs or through trading. Now you can own it along with this album and enjoy the best quality possible. Needless to say, HNE Recordings Ltd. wins the award for an outstanding reissue. 

With this edition, Disturbing The Peace is complete – enjoy the whole package and rock out!

Rating: B

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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