In Triumph

Remember in the late '80s, when Led Zeppelin clones were at a premium (Kingdom Come, Bonham, etc.)? Well, although the Quill isn't as instantly smirk-inducing as some of the aforementioned bands, they definitely have studied their Zeppelin and other '70s-era classic rock records, as evidenced by their 2006 release In Triumph. After all, singer Magnus Ekwall certainly has Robert Plant's "cat in heat" vocals down pat, while guitarist Christian Carlsson has obviously studied Jimmy Page's guitar grandeur. Case in point, "Broken Man" sounds like it's straight off of Whitesnake's Slide It In, while the album-opening "Keep the Circle Whole" would have fit snuggly on the self-titled debut by Badlands. For fans of bands influenced by the mighty Zep, the Quill's fifth full-length release definitely aims to please. But you get the feeling that if In Triumph was released, say, in 1988 or 1989, the group would have challenged the likes of Great White for valuable MTV and radio space. In 2006, however, the album comes off as a bit of an anachronism. ~ Greg Prato