by Geoff Orens

Fight for the Rock was Savatage's blatant attempt at commercial success after being prodded in that direction by their record company. The result was an album that seemed like a pale imitation of Van Halen. Even the band have pretty much disowned this one. The title track is a decent enough metal anthem, but the mellow Badfinger cover, "Day After Day," is a definite mis-step, and "Out On Streets" sounded much better on the raw version that appeared on Sirens. The rest of the record is not as much bad as it is simply bland and uninspired arena metal with "She's Only Rock and Roll," being a low point, and the menacing "Hyde," standing out from among the rest a bit. The production is quite weak and even Criss Oliva's guitar, one of the staples of the Savatage sound, is not given much chance to shine here. The album did mark the debut of the band's new bassist, Johnny Lee Middleton, who would be the only member of the group to officially appear as a member on the rest of their work. Thankfully, the band would rethink their musical approach after this record.