Lizzy Borden-Visual Lies, 1987

Background-I was a big fan of this band by the summer of 1987. I liked everything they had done up until that point and was anticipating this album. I was on their mailing list and two months before the album came out I received a huge postcard. The postcard had the above cover, but all in silver and it had the release date on it. I didn't have a car and my friend Ray happened to be going to the mall the day this album was released so I gave him money to pick up a copy for me. When I got it I immediately played it and was left feeling kind of hollow. The album seemed to be a shell of the band that had done all of their previous albums. Maybe it's time to have another listen so here it goes.

Review-

1. Me Against The World- This one comes on at a medium pace. The first thing that hits me is how basic it is. It's an anthem, but it's a bit too repetitive.

2. Shock-The music is very simple and almost in the background. Overall it has a light feel to it and really lacks any hooks or edge to it.

3. Outcast-Again the music is done sparingly, but the vocals are strong. Nice guitar solo in it as well. Better than the previous tracks.

4. Den Of Thieves- Finally something to be excited about. This one is fast and to the point. The drums are a little more mechanical sounded than needed, but it's a strong track.

5. Visual Lies-Very dull track as I had to really struggle to make it through the whole thing.

6. Eyes Of A Stranger-Okay, I think this what the album was trying to be like, but this song actually works. It's a simple anthem type song, but the music is involved enough, the vocals are strong and the writing is interesting enough.

7. Lord Of The Flies-The opening riff is good, but that quickly fades. What we are left with is a very lukewarm song. the longest track on the album and it sure feels like it.

8. Voyeur (I'm Watching You)-The music is forgettable and the vocals lack any kind of punch. Again good solos, but that's about it.

9. Visions-This track is sort of slow, but steady. It's not terribly creative, but it works. The music is strong enough and the vocals work well with it.

Verdict/Final word-It's not as awful as I once thought, but still disappointing. So we have one very good song, two decent and six that are average or below so that puts it probably slightly below average overall. Their previous material all built up from one album to the next. Their writing improved and they became more complex with each effort. This album is more basic than any of the previous material so it was like a step back. It was far and away less heavy than anything else they had done. Even the vocals lacked inspiration as times and that never happened on the earlier material. I think either someone in the band or someone at Enigma records thought it was time to try a cash-in and that's what this is. It didn't help the band gain any new fans and it lost some old fans. Still I am a fan of this band and their good material far outweighs the bad. Plus they did bounce back eventually.

***Next month the twenty year old album review will be Ace Frehley- Frehley's Comet.