The Alarm: Still Looking ‘Forwards’ After All These Years 

By “Tampa” Earl Burton, Rock At Night Tampa

Music Review: The Alarm’s album – Forwards-June 2,2023

For many of us with some of the tread worn off the tires, we will remember the British band The Alarm. One of the better alternative rock acts of the late Eighties, the Welsh rockers gifted fans with many a classic tune such as “Sixty Eight Guns” and their 1989 modern rock hit “Sold Me Down the River.” Alas, much like many other musical forms, the uprising of the grunge movement in the early Nineties brought an end to The Alarm when they disbanded in 1991.  

The vocalist for the group, Mike Peters, never strayed far from the music industry, however. He continued to release music throughout the years, even after being diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2005. In 2021, The Alarm would release a compilation of their previous materials, History Repeating 1981-2021, and its success demonstrated that there was still the desire for material from the groundbreaking Welsh act. 

The plans for a new record had to take some detours, unfortunately. A relapse of his leukemia and a bout with pneumonia kept Peters laid up for some time, but the band persevered through it all to develop a new album. Due out June 2, Forwards will deliver the goods for fans of The Alarm, who are still in excellent form as performers.  

The first release from Forwards, “Next,” brings the unabashed power rock that The Alarm was previously known for. Peters adds his own experiences to the video for the song, strolling the halls of the very hospital where he was treated for pneumonia while vowing to drive forward to whatever is “next.” The title track of the new album carries on this sentiment, with the video being closely intertwined with Peters’ first show back following his treatment. The current single, “Whatever,” is a battle cry for those who are dealing with whatever travails they face – “whatever it takes to get you by,” Peters wails with a tremendous feeling of having been there/done that.  

There are some occasions you wish your past heroes didn’t continue. With Mike Peters and The Alarm, it is like touching base with an old friend who has not forgotten what brought you together. The new album hits the streets (or the digital veins) on June 2, and you will not regret adding Forwards to your collection. 

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Tracklist: 

1. Forwards
2. The Returning
3. Another Way
4. Love and Forgiveness
5. Next
6. Whatever
7. Transition
8. Love Disappearing
9. New Standards
10. X

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Tampa Earl

“Tampa” Earl is a 40-year veteran of the entertainment industry, in particular rock radio and journalism. He currently has two radio shows, “Rockin’ in the USA” (focused on the history of rock) and “Crackin’ the Seal” (focused on new, independent, and unsigned artists and rock music) on Real Rock Radio, which broadcasts from Manchester, England. Earl, a former Marine, lives near Tampa, FL, where he is always on the lookout for the next great artist or band that will further the history of rock!

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