Race Against Time

The full length debut from Banshee is slightly different than their 1986 EP that was a nice surge of U.S. power metal. This album however still contains that power metal style in certain tracks but is watered down with elements of glam and hard rock. This to my ears hindered their sound a bit and I feel they did this due to the booming success that majority of glam metal acts received during the time of this release in 1989. Another reason I say they injected a more glam style into their music is also because of this albums terrible album cover displaying the band looking quite glammy. Not that looks matter but just based off the albums cover gives a hint at the direction this band was taking musically.

The songs here aren't terrible but they are no where near as strong as what was on the Cry in the Night EP. Songs like "Shoot Down the Night" and "Get It on the Run" are just bad and the choruses are ultra cringeworthy. These 2 tracks along with something like "Desire" are perfect examples of this glam style creeping in to their sound. "Drive Like Hell" and "Call of the Wild" are decent nothing great about them but they do pick up the pace but Flood wails a bit more than he should in these tracks which can get a bit annoying at times. The 2 short instrumentals don't really go anywhere and just kind of linger for the short time they do and their really isn't anything exciting about them. The best songs here that sound closest to the Cry in the Night EP are "All Alone" and the title track "Race Against Time" these 2 are badass examples of the bands old sound carrying over into this record. There are no cringe inducing moments in these tracks and have very catchy choruses and nice hooks to grab the listener. My favorite tune on this record is the ballad "Missing You" and while this may have a more power ballad type of feel it is executed phenomenally and has a real somber atmosphere about it. Even if it's considered a glammy ballad it is one of the better ones that I've heard it is my favorite track on this release. The guitar solos here are also really good and flow with the songs nicely. The production/mix is of the era classic analog sound which is always better in my book the record sounds clean and all the instruments are balanced in volume along with Floods vocals.

Race Against Time is a love/hate affair of an album for me due to half the songs being either mediocre or just terrible and the other half being pretty decent with a few standout tracks mentioned above. It has a little something for everyone whether your into the glam stuff or into the pure heavy metal type of sound, its there. Some tracks are stellar and some are terrible. This album is a perfect example of a middle of the road type of album to me. I wouldn't recommend this to lets say someone purely into thrash metal or heavier subgenres of metal but this would be perfect for someone into old school heavy metal looking for a band not really all that well known to jam on.

Highlights: "All Alone", "Race Against Time", and "Missing You".