Reviewed by Christian Cunningham

Coming straight out of 1988, one can almost smell the hair lacquer as pure glam metal gems spill out of Heaven on this Limited Edition double CD set. The first CD is the 'World Requiem' album in its entirety, followed by the 1987 demo that landed them the major label deal. Disc two is an unreleased demo from 1986 and is accompanied by three snippets from three separate live shows so you certainly get a lot of tracks for your money here. The actual 'World Requiem' album on the first disc is the standout recording; the demos are obviously of lesser quality, though still eminently listenable to. The live recordings, by contrast, are really quite poor, with buzzy guitars difficult to hear and drums almost non-existent, but then these only account for seven of the thirty tracks and do give us an insight into the energy of their live shows. Eternal Ryte's sound is undeniably similar to that of Stryper and Dokken, with guitars drenched in reverb duelling against paint-stripping vocals. The guitar playing of Bobby Smith is showy, shredding and a joy to listen to, the band grooving with the best of their contemporaries and rocking harder than most. Highlights include the title track "Requiem" with Iron Maiden-esque galloping basslines and melt-your-face guitar leads, and "Surrender" in its churning, engine room buzz. A release to transport you back to the heyday of 80's glam.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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