Formosa: Danger Zone

Considering that Formosa really wants to capture the feel of 1980s hard rock / metal, I began to worry when I saw that track three was called “Leader of the Pack.� As many of you will remember, Twisted Sister covered that tune in the 80s and it was kind of hard to get away from. Even though I loved Twisted Sister, I didn’t like their version of “Leader of the Pack� and I didn’t really want to hear another one. When I got to Formosa’s “Leader of the Pack,� I breathed a huge sigh of relief because it bears only a scant connection to the Twisted Sister cover.

I’m letting one song get me ahead of myself. If you haven’t heard Formosa before, the band really loves 80s hard rock and metal and wants to capture a sound that is so raw and so bare that they are prone to calling it naked. In that sense, they’ve done a good job. The music here is straightforward and uncomplicated. Whether it channels the 80s as much as some listeners would want, I’m not completely sure. For me, the best thing about this band was the way they seemed to play everything as honestly as possible. Bands like this risk sounding too much like a parody of an older sound. But Formosa takes on the 80s really well. The music is mostly mid-tempo rock that chugs along with the occasional cowbell to lead you along. If you listen to the vocals, you may even wonder if you’re listening to some early Motley Crue demos.

I’d suggest tracks like “Sold My Soul� or “Light it Up� if you want to hear what Formosa is up to. Earlier tracks like “Dynamite� or “Night of the Witch� were also pretty good. If you’re curious to hear “Leader of the Pack,� go for it. It’s not the band’s strongest track, but at least they avoided the temptation to cover it.

Track Listing:
1. Dynamite
2. Masquerade
3. Leader of the Pack
4. Night of the Witch
5. Manic Lover
6. Sold My Soul
7. Rakjia Fever
8. We Go Out Tonight
9. Starry Eyes
10. Light it Up

Added: February 14th 2020
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 756
Language: english

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