XXX: 30 Years on the Road 1980/2010 Best of, 2011

"It has been 30 years of hard rocking metal for Rain, and, with "XXX: 30 Years on the Road 1980/2010", they invite you to celebrate this feat with them. Most of the tracks are all out hard rockers with varying degrees of metalhood, ranging from the uptempo 'Born to Kill' and 'Fight the Power' over the more melodic hard rockers 'Energy', 'Whiskey on the Route 666', 'Rain Revolution' and 'Only Your Dreams' to the slightly, if not complex and progressive, then at least rhythmically interesting 'Blood Sport' (which is a great track). Musically, we are dealing with a more traditional approach to hard rock, but Rain do have some modern surprises up their sleeve, such as a couple of electronica elements - which actually work quite fine. Apart from a couple of ballads, "XXX: 30 Years on the Road 1980/2010" is a collection of uplifting tracks which are perfect for the highway or just a good old party, and they are generally enjoyable to listen to. (review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"