When Alcatrazz - Graham Bonnet, Yngwie Malmsteen, Gary Shea and Jimmy Waldo, both ex New England, and Jan (Alice Cooper) Uvena' - toured their debut album, 'No Parole From Rock'N'Roll' in Japan in 1984, the tumultuous Tokyo gig (at the Nakano Sun Plaza) was recorded for posterity.
The result was 'Live Sentence', now reissued by the rising UK label, Store For Music.
The real appeal of live performance - rawness, realism and dependence on real talent - is undermined to a large degree by an unequal mix and a less than top notch vocal performance from Graham Bonnet.
These detractors could have holed the DVD below the waterline, but a couple of key factors kept the whole thing afloat.
One, the inclusion of high profile songs from Bonnet's past. Namely Rainbow's 'Since You've Been Gone'; 'Night Games' from his acclaimed 'Line Up' solo album, and 'All Night Long', a lesser known Rainbow song, but high calibre just the same.
Two, Malmsteen's shredding in general, and his 2 instrumentals in particular, 'Coming Bach' and 'Evil Eye', both of which he was later to record with his own band, Rising Force.
'Live Sentence's limitations suggest that it is therefore best approached as an important piece of a bigger picture, and not as a stand alone release.
Style: Melodic Rock
Rating: 6/10Posted by
Brian - Tuesday, February 1, 2011
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