Under Attack by The Alarm (EMI) Reviewed By Steve Rudd

As with every song on every past Alarm album, every single one is a trail-blazing anthem. Welshman Mike Peters is, always has been, and always will be the voice of The Alarm. And what a soul-powered voice he has got, as opening tune Superchannel takes up where the previous Alarm long-player - In The Poppyfields - left off. Here we have thirteen tracks in total that rack up to almost fifty minutes of quality playing-time, and Mike really does sound better than ever.

Ok, so the rest of the band that backs Mike isn't comprised of the original members of The Alarm, but the spirit of the band remains - so long as Mike is chairing affairs, that is. Mike's songs are always uplifting and positive, as Without A Fight proves beyond a doubt, with Mike heartily declaring I will carry on - I'm not ready to fall.

After twenty-five years in the business, Mike is busier than ever. In fact, he has to be one of the most prolific songwriters in the UK, and he's forever hitting the road on promotional tours, with his music being hugely popular in the USA too. As well as fronting The Alarm, he has in recent years also featured in the Dead Men Walking supergroup project that has seen him take to the stage alongside fellow singers and musicians such as Spear of Destiny's Kirk Brandon and ex-Sex Pistol bassist Glen Matlock.

Oh, and Mike has also managed to forge a distinguished solo career... in his spare time!

The highlight of the year for many Mike Peters/ Alarm fans has to be The Gathering event that he organises in Llandudno, which is essentially a full weekend devoted to him singing as many songs as he possibly can. Mike hails from just down the road in North Wales at Rhyl, and he touches on the pride he feels for the immediate area in his new song My Town. Elsewhere on Under Attack, the love-orientated It's Alright/ It's OK is a soft-rock anthem that couldn't really be any more commercial if it tried, and yet Be Still somehow unleashes an even more sublime chorus as if by magic.

The stunning melodies and harmonies literally come thick and fast, with the zestful punk-rock, Clash-esque swagger of Cease And Desist hurtling headlong into the breathtaking Zero, which is one of the coolest fist-in-the-air, hand-on-the-heart moments.

Something's Got To Give somehow sounds almost more like U2 than even Bono and his boys do themselves, with the huge rock sound being dominated by the guitars. Still, closing tune This Is The Way We Are provides perhaps the definitive lighter-in-the-air moment of this release, as a familiar (to loyal Alarmists) finger-picked melody proceeds to give way to an epic masterpiece that witnesses Mike passionately singing straight from the heart. Look for me in the eyes of a child he begs. Look and listen indeed - and you surely won't be in any way disappointed.

An exhilarating wealth of vibrancy ensures that Under Attack might just be THE melodic soft-rock album of the year. Hopefully with this release, though, Mike won't have to rely on crafty gimmicks to sell this record en-masse (remember if you will how a great many people were duped into buying into the single success of 45 RPM) www.thealarm.com

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