Year : 1992 (Music On CD Reissue 2019)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , Glam Metal
Country : Norway
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 182 mb
Bio:
TNT is a Norwegian power metal band from Trondheim, formed in 1982. The band has released twelve studio albums, three EPs and two live albums while going through numerous line-up changes since its formation. Guitarist Ronni Le Tekrø is the only consistent member of TNT. In 2013 singer Tony Harnell returned to the band after a seven year absence reuniting 3/4 of the band's classic 80s lineup.TNT was formed in the Norwegian city Trondheim in 1982, by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dag Ingebrigtsen, guitarist Ronni Le Tekrø, bassist Steinar Eikum and drummer Diesel Dahl.Securing a national record contract with PolyGram subsidiary Vertigo Norway, they released their self-titled debut album the same year — their only album that features Norwegian lyrics — and got a hit with the single "Harley-Davidson". In August 1983 Morty Black replaced Steinar Eikum on bass, and the following year American vocalist Tony Harnell became TNT's new frontman, making his debut on their album Knights of the New Thunder. His unique and powerful 4 octave range was the final element the band needed to break out of Norway and into the world market. The album was a huge success in Scandinavia and the band then was offered a worldwide deal with Mercury/Polygram worldwide out of New York. Knights was then released in the U.S. in 1984 and the video for "Seven Seas" got heavy rotation on MTV and the album entered the billboard charts.That line-up recorded one more album, Tell No Tales in 1987, before Diesel Dahl parted company from TNT the following year after some turbulent times within the band. Tell No Tales produced TNT's biggest hit, the single "10,000 Lovers (In One)". Tell No Tales marked a slight change in sound from melodic Euro-metal to a more palatable hard rock style, with Le Tekrø and Harnell gaining a reputation as a talented duo. The album was the best selling release in Norway and Sweden that year (outselling hugely popular artists like Michael Jackson and Def Leppard). Tell No Tales also saw the band establishing a mainstream following in Japan and the U.S. Promotional Videos for "Everyone's a Star" and "10,000 Lovers (In One)" were featured on both European and American MTV. They were also featured on Headbangers Ball. The band supported Stryper on a sold out arena tour in the U.S. followed by a tour with Twisted Sister and Great White as well as headlining shows in large clubs in the U.S.Kenneth Odiin became TNT's new drummer and played on TNT's fourth studio album, Intuition, in 1989. This release marked a more AOR-oriented sound, still maintaining a little of the hard rock edge of the previous album. Intuition was another huge success in Scandinavia and Japan. It was also the band's best received American release and saw the band embarking on their first headlining tour of the U.S. which broke attendance records across the country in small theaters and large clubs, thanks to the prominent display of the video for the title track on MTV.
Album:
Norwegian melodic hard rock wonders TNT fifth album “Realized Fantasies” is one of the best from their discography.The recording never was remastered and I think it doesn’t needs to… now “Realized Fantasies” just has been reissued by Music On CD Records, and the sonic Dynamic Range is better and fuller than any other previous release.As good as TNT’s late-80s output often is, lurking underneath the glossy surface is the realization that the band’s principal forces – vocalist Tony Harnell and axeman Ronni Le Tekrø – were a bit wasted on the slick AOR catchiness of Tell No Tales and Intuition.These are wonderful albums – however you got the sensation this band was capable of more elaborated stuff.“Realized Fantasies”, released at the tail end of the pop-metal boom, was indeed a step in a more progressive direction, and a sign that bands in this genre actually could grow.It’s still Scandi Melodic Hard Rock, but the average song length here actually is a bit north of five minutes, up over a minute from their previous work. Le Tekrø’s bouncy riffs have a bit more meat on them, overpowering the atmospheric keys and making this the heaviest TNT album since Knights Of the New Thunder.Further, as soon as opener “Downhill Racer” gets through a chorus, it’s evident Harnell has finally come up with a way to bring the gritty edge of his higher singing into his lower registers, which actually gives the band a slight air of menace at several junctures on “Realized Fantasies”.Harnell’s voice still soars to crazy heights – this album actually has his highest notes ever – but for the first time, he’s truly a complete singer.On “Realized Fantasies” Le Tekrø’s solos find more room to fly, and he brings a new bag of staccato noises / crazy sounds that are his trademark.Harnell and Le Tekrø are also joined by a third notable band member here, renowned journeyman drummer John Macaluso. Macaluso doesn’t get too many chances to go crazy on the album, but he does bring a more progressive presence to the rhythm section – patterns like the intro to “Purple Mountain’s Majesty” are really interesting.Bassist Morty Black is also a bit more active than the average bass player in the genre, and his ‘bass guitar’ lines are quite easy to hear.As usual, TNT’s songwriting here is consistent, strong. The album undeniably benefits from the musicians stretching out to arrangements that have more than a tinge of progressive hard rock, evident most prominently in the intense, multi-section epic “Purple Mountain’s Majesty.”“Hard To Say Goodbye” and “Rock ‘n Roll Away” present themselves as classy melodic rock, but by the time they finish, they unfold into unorthodox structures, capped by excellent vocal codas. “Mother Warned Me” and “Downhill Racer” stay on a straighter path but remain effective, the former containing prime Harnell highs and the latter bringing an edgier feel.“All You Need” overcomes its generic lyrics with an explosive Harnell performance and a blistering harmonica solo (three words I never thought I’d type in sequence).The ballads, typically a strong point of TNT releases, are represented by “Lionheart” which tries to repeat the formula of Tell No Tales’ “Northern Lights” with pleasant results, and the slightly bluesy, laid-back mid-paced “Easy Street” which works great as a break from the heavier stuff.“Realized Fantasies” is one of the most complete and best TNT albums. It has the catchiness and melody of their 80s stuff combined with a melodic hard rock bite of the early Nineties. It’s very similar in sound & style to Europe’s Prisoner In Paradise, and equally good.“Realized Fantasies” is as well a document of the band at the peak of their powers. Never before or again was Harnell quite this unstoppable (though he obviously has plenty of other excellent performances), and never before or again did the band have a drummer on Macaluso’s level.While their 2000s output actually compares quite well to this album when it comes to songcraft, “Realized Fantasies” is a bracing listen as Harnell and his bandmates bash through their glam trappings, aiming for a sound that fits their godlike talent.I love this album, and this reissue is excellent.
Line-Up:
Tony Harnell – vocals
Ronni Le Tekrø – guitars, keyboards
Morty Black – bass guitar
John Macaluso – drums, percussion
additional personnel:
Joe Lynn Turner – background vocals
Dag Stokke – keyboards on track 6
Rich Tancredi, T.J. Kopetic – keyboards
Tracklist:
01. Downhill Racer
02. Hard To Say Goodbye
03. Mother Warned Me
04. Lionheart
05. Rain
06. Purple Mountain’s Majesty
07. Rock ‘N Roll Away
08. Easy Street
09. All You Need
10. Indian Summer
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