Search - Airtime :: Liberty Manifesto

Elliot S. (Nicksdad) from HILLSBORO, OR
Reviewed on 3/8/2009...

Rik is back!!! Some of his best work since his 1st 2 solo albums. 5 Stars!!!

Excellent! Highly Recommended! Rik Emmett & Mike Shotton Ef

Rick | Atlanta, Ga. | 01/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow, it rocks! Excellent musical effort! Rik Emmett and Mike Shotton are in top form with this new group/collaboration they've formed. If you loved Rik's song writing, singing and guitar playing in his days with Triumph up through the Thunder Seven album, I think it's highly likely you'll love this too. He's got the soulful singing with that unique voice of his and excellent guitar playing going on that makes this effort familiar and yet new and distinctive at the same time!"

Triumph "Transmutated"

P. Zeller | Vincent, OH | 09/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ever since the demise of the version of Triumph involving Rik Emmett (the only "real" version of the group there has been), he has maintained a musical presence in his home country of Canada with various solo and "side projects". However, that musical presence has never seemed to find its way back into the "mainstream". After purchasing Liberty Manifesto, all I can say is, "You don't know what you are missing!". This album is really good. A pleasure from end to end.



If you are a fan of any of Triumph's albums for Allied Forces through the Sport of Kings, you absolutely must own this CD. It is basically most everything good about Triumph through their heyday while being more musically and lyrically consistant from beginning to end (a common complaint about most Triumph albums).



This album rocks on several cuts, including Edge of Your Mind, Midnight Black & Blue, and Rise. Along the way, you still get the powerful rock anthems that Triumph was always best at. Liberty is a fantastic song in the same vein as songs like Fight the Good Fight or Never Surrender.



The other common complaint with Triumph albums was the spotty/inconsistent production each album seemed to struggle with. There is none of that here. This album sounds full, strong, and current throughout.



Rik seems to have lost none of his masterful touch with the guitar over the years. More amazing to me is how much his voice has kept its qualities through the passage of 20+ years.



There is even alittle bit of Rik's softer side on this album. Moving Day is at first somewhat quirky, as the title might lead you to think. However, this song only takes 20-30 seconds to grow on you and for you to realize that, inspite of the title, it is quite a good song.



Finally, it would not be a Rik Emmitt album with out the guitar-centered instrumentals. There are two on this. Both are a delight with Headstream being the more classicaly based piece and Transmutation being an agressive rock piece. Both are improvements versus the normal Triumph studio instrumental fair.



For anyone longing for a return of the best of Triumph, this may be as close as we ever get. In fact, this album may be even better, as a whole, then any of those ever got. There are even a couple of songs on this album that approach the caliber of Fight the Good Fight or Hold On.



If you are just looking for a good example of how melodic rock can be done in the 21st century, this album will do quite nicely as well. This is a no loose album."