Decade

For some headbangers, the 1980s never ended, and that is true of veteran bands that were actually around during that decade, as well as bands that came along after the it but have a very '80s-like sound. At Vance are a perfect example of the latter; although the German outfit didn't exist until 1998, their melodic power metal has stubbornly maintained a pre-'90s outlook, which is exactly what one finds throughout Decade. This two-CD set does a good job of compartmentalizing; the first disc is very much a best-of, offering 75 minutes worth of Introductory At Vance 101. But the second disc, which is dominated by covers, is aimed at hardcore fans and collectors rather than listeners who mainly want to hear At Vance's best-known recordings. And the German metalheads are far-reaching when it comes to covers, tackling everything from Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" to Tears for Fears' "Shout" to no less than three ABBA hits: "S.O.S.," "The Winner Takes It All," and "Money Money Money." The covers on disc two end up being more pop-metal than power metal (unlike the original material on disc one), but even so, At Vance's ABBA and Tears for Fears covers rock much harder than the original versions. And disc two moves into progressive metal territory when At Vance use Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, and Chopin as vehicles for shredding. But whether Decade gets into power metal, pop-metal, or prog metal, there is never any doubt that this is a late-'90s/2000s/2010s band that longs for rock's pre-Nevermind era. The fact that disc two is so collector-friendly makes Decade problematic for the novice who just wants to hear At Vance's "greatest hits," but for those with a more than casual interest in the band, it is nice to have all those essentials on one disc, and all those collectibles on the other.