Viva - Dealers Of The Night (1982)

More magical metal courtesy of the mysterious Viva. I knew nothing about these guys until I purchased their fantastic 'What The Hell Is Going On?' opus. 'Dealers...' is the bands third opus, a record that shifts in mood, at times slowing the pace although Paganini's vocal approach still keeps this record streetwise, his gravelly rasp compliments Schenker's keyboards which work particularly on the title track. Top track is the odd, sleazy glammed up stomp of 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' which is a cool, mid-tempo cover version, and then there's the Gothic-laced rage of 'Ten Years After,' which has a strong Euro feel - no surprise considering these guys are German. 'Spend The Night' is an epic ballad unlike a majority of metal ballads this really seems sincere although the smoky vocal swoon is sligthly cheesy. In fact this sounds like something from a hammy musical, but thankfully the band get back on track with 'Looking For An Answer' although 'I Didn't See It Coming' is delivered with a bluesy swagger. 'Dealers...' may not have the mysticism of 'What The Hell...' but Viva stil have a charm about them. The album cover is sweet too. 7/10