One of the more unexpected names to re-announce themselves in recent years was that of Dutch band Vengeance, and its recordings from various dates on the 2006 "Back In The Ring" tour that are selected for this new live release. Despite being sourced from different performances though the ten tracks on offer are all edited nicely into a continuous, coherent live album and help to recall that actually Vengeance were a pretty good band back in the 80s.

I remember picking up "Rock 'N' Roll Shower" on 12" vinyl back on a European holiday about 20 years ago so it was nice to reacquaint myself with that upbeat slice of classic party rock whilst "Arabia". "No Mercy" and especially the excellent opener "Take It Or Leave It" all stand out as fine songs too.

A band I had honestly forgotten about until the 2006 tour dates supporting Axel Rudi Pell were announced, it's been a pleasant surprise to find that Vengeance continued to release product even through the dark days of the 90s and this live album will hopefully generate a bit more interest in the band. And even if it doesn't send you searching for the back catalogue it's certainly well worth a listen in it's own right.

***½

Review by Jason Ritchie

***** Out of this world | **** Pretty damn fine |
*** OK, approach with caution unless you are a fan |
** Instant bargain bin fodder | * Ugly. Just ugly