Released to celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary, ‘Live@XXV’ is a reminder that this band deserve to be heard. Possibly viewed differently across the pond than here in the UK and Europe, I’m pretty sure Babylon A.D. got lumped in with the ‘also rans’ so whilst bands such as Bang Tango, Pretty Boy Floyd, Vain and Tuff got love from fans, BAD probably never got the love they deserved. Their lack of touring never helped but now seemingly resurrected – with an ever present original line-up – this just serves as a 13 track appetizer to revisit their slabs of wax.
Recorded at several locations, including their quality Firefest performance from Nottingham last year, the band run through 11 classic tracks including their hits such as ‘Hammer Swings Down’, ‘Bang Go The Bells’ and ‘Kid Goes Wild’.
‘Love Blind’ from last year’s excellent ‘Lost Sessions/Fresno, CA 93’ EP is a welcome addition, as are two classic covers strapped on the end of this album in Montrose’s ‘Rock The Nation’ and UFO’s ‘Lights Out London] (as it’s called here), the latter including a blistering guitar masterclass that needs more than one listen to fully appreciate.
Babylon A.D. have without doubt mastered their craft as you can hear just how tight and professional they are – don’t be expecting pissed up sloppiness or half hearted recreations from this bunch – and in singer Derek Davis, they have a frontman whose voice is still as large and powerful as it was on their debut all those years ago.
Song after song will reignite your passion for a band that may have slipped to the back of your collection but with songs such as their blistering version of ‘Maryanne’, as well as the aforementioned tracks you’ll remember – or maybe be introduced – to a band that deserve to be heralded in higher circles that are currently occupied by lesser bands with lesser material.
It’s good to have a band this good back… More