Tora Tora’s debut album from 1989 – Surprise Attack – remastered and re-issued with four bonus tracks. A fine album of hard, energetic, fresh yet melodic sort of hair metal (well, it was 1989) with a bluesy tint and as good as or better than most form the time.
The band’s name has nothing to do with Pearl Harbour. Apparently they took it from the song of the same name from Van Halen’s Women and Children First album.
For Tora Tora it was a tale of rags to (almost) riches from winning a local “battle of the bands” competition and releasing an EP to landing a contract with big label A&M which producing this debut reaching the US Top 50 album chart after which they faded away and couldn’t match the success of Surprise Attack.
What a fine, fine album it is though. From top to bottom it’s a combination of huge crisp riffs, marvellous solos backed up by the big drum sound so typical of the late 1980s and the soaring vocals of Anthony Corder. Add to this plenty of big hooks and the big catchy choruses making Surprise attack a winner.
Love’s a Bitch is a monstrous opener. Cutting, fast riff, hard hitting solo, huge vocals, killer solo, shout-out chorus. What a start.
28 Days and Hard Times hit hard too with both having something of a sleazy/blues feel to them.
Guilty should have been the song which made them huge. A slightly stop/start riff, catchy as you like, more glorious guitar work, big harmony backing vocals and a little bit of cowbell even. Glorious stuff. Have a listen:
Phantom Rider wanders in to brooding power ballad territory. Walkin’ Shoes more bluesy with a tint of Southern rock before the powerful stuff returns with the likes of She’s Good She’s Bad and Being There.
A towering debut album indeed. The bonus tracks are a remix of Phantom Rider, Dancing With as Gypsy (which was on the soundtrack for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) then the versions of Walkin’ Shoes and Phantom Rider which made up the EP the bad released after the battle of the bands win.
A second album was released in the early 1990s though made no impression and Tora Tora drifted away back then. Such a shame as armed with such a fine debut they surely should have properly hit the big time alongside the likes of Ratt, Poison, Cinderella GNR and similar. Surprise Attack is that good.
>> TORA TORA SURPRISE ATTACK ON AMAZON <<