From Lo-Fidelity:
“‘Though 1987’s Branded has earned the reputation as Undercover’s “darkest” album, there’s an argument to be made that Balance of Power has it beat. Released three years later, after the passing of guitarist Gym Nicholson’s wife, the album pushes even further into the shadows, opening with an image of a world splitting apart at the seams, and ending with a harrowing plea for forgiveness. The band’s sound followed suit—gone were the layers of keyboards that gave Branded its rich textures, replaced instead by knifepoint guitars; Sim Wilson’s voice had gone from goth-y baritone to a pained wail, and the rhythm section of Ojo Taylor and Gary Olsen was turbulent and stormy. It’s a gripping, visceral record, made by a band searching in the darkness for the smallest sliver of light.’ ~ J. Edward Keyes