When Canadian power trio Triumph plays the Pacific Coliseum this Sunday (December 28), its long-time fans will be in for a bit of a surprise. For the first time in its 12-year career, the group will be sporting a fourth member, Toronto guitarist Rick Santers.
Santers, whose own album Guitar Alley was produced by Triumph guitarist Rik Emmett, will be playing rhythm guitar and keyboards on the group’s Canadian tour, which kicks off at the Coliseum.
Songs from the group’s new album, The Sport of Kings, will figure strongly in their upcoming shows, and according to drummer/vocalist Gil Moore, the addition of Santers has made their material "heavier than ever".
The Sport of Kings, Triumph’s ninth Canadian release, was produced by Michael Clink, also known for his work with Heart, Survivor, and Ozzy Osbourne.
It took the group a year to record and mix, at studios in Toronto, New York, and L.A., but so far the record has been selling modestly when compared to other hard-rock releases by groups like Bon Jovi. One reason could be that Triumph tends to rely a lot less on image than other bands. "We’re just three guys from Toronto that like to play rock and roll," says Moore.
But what the group lacks in makeup and costuming, it more than makes up for with ability. Emmett is one of rock’s most versatile players, and as for Moore, anybody that can play drums and sing lead at the same time deserves a lot of respect.
The upcoming tour–which features one of the biggest laser shows around–is sure to help push the album as well. The last one, for 1984’s Thunder Seven album, saw the group play to over one million fans. And 85 percent of those shows were sell-outs.
Opening for Triumph this Sunday will be Vancouver’s own Kick Axe, having just released its third album, Rock the World. From the sounds of that LP’s first single, the title track, the group has gotten back to the straightforward sound of its debut LP, Vices. The second album, last year’s Welcome to the Club, was a fine record, but may have been a mite too ambitious for the typical headbanger.
In contrast to Triumph, Kick Axe have lost a member instead of gaining one. Former guitarist Ray Harvey is now playing in a band called Rockline (at the Metro this weekend). It should be interesting to see how lone axeman Larry Gillstrom takes up the slack this Sunday.
