Winger
In The Heart Of The Young

Release Date: 1990 | Tracklist

Winger: the band who got a bad rap for singing about underage girls and the band that Metallica used as a dart board. A group that jumped on the hair metal scene just as it was ending. But if you were going to be one of the last, you might as well be the best, and Winger managed to do just that. 25 years and 4 days ago from when this was written Winger's second album was released titled 'In The Heart Of The Young'. Yes it is poppy. Yes it can be cheesy. And yes it is a great success in combining virtuosic and practical progressive instrumentation with pop rock. It is the perfect listen for anyone who thought commercialized glam had to be shallow.

The record is incredibly diverse. You've got your slow groove rock'n roll anthems, ballads, up tempo swinging rock, and progressive elements and unique textures/tones abound. The album continuously stays fresh as each track reveals more untouched ground and songwriting approaches.

The song structures are simple but the performances are at the top of the genre. Reb Beach is a phenomenal guitarist. His tapping style and clean classy playing completely driven by melody is obviously one of the main reasons to listen to the band. And his extremely modal note choice and odd rhythms in lead sections is just out of this world. I honestly haven't heard anything else like it again. Drummer Rod Morgenstein was just the right drummer for the group. His playing with the band is a clinic in extreme simplicity and extreme badassery at the same time. The band is at their most impressive when given room to work: where Reb Beach is wailing away and Rod Morgenstein is flipping beats on their head, creating jaw dropping polyrhythms, and exploding with unexpected fills. Unfortunately this doesn't happen much save for short solo sections or a rare end of song jam out. That is mostly because in the end the overall feel is poppy and heavily vocal centric. Kip Winger has one of the best voices in rock'n roll and a tremendous range. He's able to convey massive emotion and groove on his bass and do spins all at the same time. The gang vocals are everywhere and provide some of the catchiest moments but the instruments could have had a little more time to shine. Because of this the record can only be known as a glam record with some prog elements rather than a fully fledged progressive hair metal album. Still, the progressiveness can't be ignored and their ability to combine that with straight pop may be the album's most impressive feature.

On the surface Winger may have seemed like a band jumping on a bandwagon that was just about to go off a cliff. That could be true, but the band is also an incredibly underrated and excellent dose of progressive pop. Some subtle synth elements and the fact that the guitar is often quieter in the mix really give the album a pleasing sound. Aside from a couple weaker tracks such as the cheesy though epic title track and 'In The Day We'll Never See' the album consistently gives interesting and memorable material. Their cheeky and dynamic approach is highly entertaining and worth the time of any rock listener. Their music took a heavier but less consistent turn after their full on glam period. A lot of their best songs happened after that. Even their 2014 record is solid. But their first two albums see the band firmly planted in the glam genre and executing it expertly, especially 'In The Heart of the Young'. If you are going to listen to glam you ought to listen to Winger.

Tweet

Recent reviews by this author
Aesmah Walking Off The Horizon	Kadinja Super 90'
Omnium Gatherum The Burning Cold	BABYMETAL Metal Resistance
Sorrow Plagues Sorrow Plagues	Ulvesang Ulvesang

user ratings (75)

rate it Awful - 1 Very Poor - 1.5 Poor - 2 Average - 2.5 Good - 3 Great - 3.5 Excellent - 4 Superb - 4.5 Classic - 5

3.3 great

Rank: #182 for 1990