Most anyone still doubting 's merits as anything but "the band formed by 's old roadies" was likely silenced by their very impressive second album, 1988's . Though not nearly as adventurous as their previous employers early on, the members of had the clear advantage of being incredibly gifted musicians from day one; and aesthetically, they evidently already aspired to become the power trio equivalent of by splitting songwriting duties between guitarist and bassist/singer , while drummer handled the lyric-writing. The analogy may seem a tad far-fetched, but though 's focus was still very much on speed (as if the players are simply relishing the joys of pulling off such complex technical gymnastics in the first place), there's no disguising 's amazing compositional talents to make it all work. To be sure, songs like and stay true to 's melody-averse philosophy, but careful listeners will notice 's solos becoming more musical by the minute -- especially obvious on the frenetic which features a spellbinding workout of -like speed and dexterity. More accomplished tracks like and the semi- all have their moments, but it's the excellent which offers the most hints of the band's incredible output in later years. Plus, many enthusiasts will find 's over-the-top rendition of reason enough to investigate this rough-hewn gem. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia