The second round of re-issues by Intense Millennium brought us the re-mastered re-issue of the classic debut by Ransom. When this album first came out in 1990, pop/glam metal ruled the airwaves and Ransom was immediately stuck in that genre in many people’s minds. Truthfully, though, Ransom was more of a straight ahead metal band with only two ballads that could be considered pop-metal. Their follow-up album (Soul Asylum) – my personal favorite of the two – would take them in a bluseier direction and further prove they were never trying to be glam. The 2011 re-issue finds the album completely re-mastered and sounding great. There are also four bonus tracks from earlier recordings. Most of these are demo quality, but it is better to have them at demo quality then to not have them at all. Overall, this album is considered a classic by many – if you are a fan of shred metal you should own this disc. The only complaint I have is the cover. It has this huge banner across the bottom right corner declaring how this is a 20th anniversary edition. It could have been designed better to flow with the original cover, but instead just looks like something slapped on at the last minute.
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