Never Surrender by Triumph Review

Canadian rock band Triumph are one of the hard rock world’s best-kept secrets. Wrongly pigeonholed as a “Rush derivative,” Triumph can claim an extensive catalogue of melodic, progressive hard rock that at times recalls Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, Foreigner, Queen, and even the harder versions of The Sweet.

When the band released Never Surrender in 1982, it seemed destined for supergroup-type success after the hugely popular Allied Forces album and tour. Sadly, this did not occur – potentially due to circumstances beyond the group’s control, as the band was too musically mature to latch on to the hair metal wave and too progressive for the new wave of music championed by social commentary magazines, masquerading as music mags (Rolling Stone).

The band took its time producing this album, no doubt aware of how close they were to making that upward leap, and maybe that hesitancy shows in the slight overproduction of some tracks.

Despite the delay, the album presents a diverse showcase of the band’s repertoire, from the sweet, radio-friendly hooks of World of Fantasy to the epic title track, which showcases the band’s mastery of dynamics, styles, and compositional ability beyond three chords and a hook chorus.

Other standout tracks are the album opener, Too Much Thinking, Battle Cry and Writing on the Wall.

While not quite the equal of Allief Forces, this album contains Triumph’s signature positive messaging, combined with three-part vocal harmonies and superb rock musicianship. If you’re a fan of power trios, elite guitar playing and quality hard rock, then you may want to give this album a listen. Of course, if you prefer your musical tastes dictated by overeducated musical snobs masquerading as music journalists, there is nothing here for you.