Q5 was another band from the booming metal scene of Seattle during the early 80’s. The band was formed in 1983 by guitar maestro Floyd Rose.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Q5
ALBUM: Steel The Light
LABEL: Albatross
SERIAL: AL 4006
YEAR: 1984
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Johnathan K – vocals * Floyd Rose – guitars * Rick Pierce – guitars * Evan Sheeley – bass, keyboards * Gary Thompson – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Missing In Action * 02 Lonely Lady * 03 Steel The Light * 04 Pull The Trigger * 05 Ain’t No Way To Treat A Lady * 06 In The Night * 07 Come And Gone * 08 Rock On * 09 Teenage Runaway
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Q5 Background
Q5 was another band from the booming metal scene of Seattle during the early 80’s. The band was formed in 1983 by guitar maestro Floyd Rose and singer Jonathan K.
He was the inventor of the guitar tremolo system – which all guitarists should know of. Floyd hooked up with ex T.K.O members to start Q5.
The band’s material was particularly good for it’s time. They secured a local deal on the Albatross label during 1984, with a European distribution with Music For Nations in 1985.
It’s melodic metal with a European slant. The dual guitar-work from Rose and Pierce leaning their style alongside Matthias Jabs and Rudolf Schenker of The Scorpions. Though the tried and true riffs of AC/DC get a look in as well.
MFN album coverThe Songs
Firing on all sixes is the opener ‘Missing In Action’, guitar overdrive with a vocal growl from Jonathan K to match.
Metal anthems such as ‘Pull The Trigger’ and ‘Steel The Light’ lift this album a notch above the ordinary.
The AC/DC riffarama rears it’s head on tracks such as ‘Ain’t No Way To Treat A Lady’ and ‘Teenage Runaway’.
The track ‘In The Night’ has the same smoky quality as Florida’s Stranger. However the token ballad ‘Come And Gone’ doesn’t quite do it for me.
Fortunately, they are redeemed on the memorable riff-fest that is ‘Lonely Lady’. Great stuff, particularly the guitar solo where Floyd does his best to crash-test his product. This ends up being a serious whammy bar bending session!
In Summary
With ‘Steel The Light’, Q5 managed to create a buzz in Europe. However it wasn’t long before they went back into the studio for more.
They managed to spend some quality time for their second release ‘When The Mirror Cracks’ during 1986. On this one, the band ventured into AOR territory. Unfortunately the end result wasn’t that great.
The material was so overblown and the songs lacked real ‘attention grabbing’ qualities. A lot of the momentum generated from ‘Steel The Light’ was lost.
However, for a sonic blast from the past, ‘Steel The Light’ is an album worth catching up with.
Q5 on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
