Song Titles:      
Disc 1     
01) Rung On The Ladder 4:05
02) Take You Home 3:50
03) Let Me Down Easy 4:17
04) Where's The Love 4:17
05) Life Goes On 4:23
06) Falling Down 4:25
07) Draw The Line 4:34
08) Bittersweet 4:09
09) Can't Wait Forever 3:40
10) Bad Girl

Back in the days of 80's metal, there was Motley Crue, there was Poison, there was Def Leppard, there was Skid Row and there was TNA. No one knows TNA. TNA was formed in 1987. They became a fairly popular local band, and they had everything going for them except the luck to get signed to a big label. Out of frustration, TNA broke up in 1991. In 2000, TNA reformed to record their old originals for the 2001 release Finger On The Trigger. They've kept at it since then and released the follow-up Branded in 2003. I haven't got a hold of Branded yet but I do have Finger On The Trigger, but I'm sure there's a lot of you who still haven't bought Finger On The Trigger. I'm one of the people who have it. Now here are my thoughts.

1) Rung On The Ladder 10/10

Starts out with sinister laughing and guitar. Then the bass drums come in and the song gets going. The verses really smoke here, and the verses kick your ass in Scorpions style. Listening to this song, you know that TNA is not playing games. This rocks all the way down the track all the way to the finish line. The lead solo even jams. They really do have their fingers on the trigger so far. Totally awesome. The production, not so much, but the song still kicks.

2) Take You Home 8/10

Another rockin' song. Their fingers are still on the triggers, matter of fact I think they're pulling the trigger too. Reminds you that 80's metal is not dead. It'll never be. TNA hasn't lost anything yet. If they'd gotten signed back in the day, they might have been huge. That would have been great. A band doesn't need a major label to kick ass though, that's for sure.

3) Let Me Down Easy 8/10

Ballad, kind of reminiscent of Vinnie Vincent Invasion's "Love Kills." The verses are slow, but the choruses pick up a little bit. I can't say the solo sucks either. Who could though? The whole song's really good.

4) Where's The Love 9/10

Now we're right back to rocking. This song talks about war and fighting and wanting peace. This song should have been on some 9/11 compilation, it would have fit nicely. Kind of agressive at times. A lot of people can relate to this song, which is why it gets a 10.

5) Life Goes On 9/10

One of my favorites on the album. It starts out really folk sounding, now before you start bashing me for liking this, it really changes, the guitar riff goes into distortion, that's my favorite part of the song. We also see a few beat changes here, these guys can really manipulate the song.

6) Falling Down 9/10

Starts out with bass and drums, then revs up. Most triumphant, nuff said.

7) Draw The Line 9/10

The guitar riff in the opening sounds really awesome. This is kind of a fast rocker. In the verses we see electric guitar picking. In the bridge the distortion gets going, and then the chorus is totally top-notch. As far as I've heard, this is totally stellar for a 2001 release.

8) Bittersweet 9/10

Starts out with synthesizer sounds, then gets going right into an agressive mid-tempo rocker. In one part of the song, a backup singer sounds something like Joe Elliott. This is probably the best song we've hit on the album so far. It has the most attitude. The production's still not exactly top-notch though. The production's not as bad as on Bulletboys' Sophie, but it still could have been better.

9) Can't Wait Forever 10/10

If "Bittersweet" wasn't good enough, this might be. I can't wait forever to listen to this again. "Can't Wait Forever" is a full blown rockin' semi fast rocker. This one truly does it for me. Seems to me that the second half of this album is stronger than the first half, better songs, better production.

10) Bad Girl 10/10

Starts with a high-pitched vocal scream. This album is leaving with good words, in other words, we're finishing up on a positive note. This is a fast rocker, with a killer lead solo, and it just flames.

Comments

If you like 80's American hard rock, then this is for you. The production could be better, but the songs are just what you'd expect from a hard rock band in the late 80's/early 90's. I haven't had a chance to hear Branded yet, but from what I hear, they really improved on that one. I hope to get my hands on that and give my take on it in the future.

www.tnarocks.com

This is for you if you're a fan of...

Britny Fox - Bite Down Hard
Scorpions - Love At First Sting
Motley Crue - Girls Girls Girls
The Scream - Let It Scream
Poison - Flesh & Blood

Score Key:
0: (scratches chalkboard with fingernails) ahh...I'm relieved
1-2: Weaker than weak.
3-4: Mediocre
5-6: Average
7-8: Good to Very Good
9: Great
10: Masterpiece
11+: How did I ever live without this?