The Sport of Kings is the eighth studio album by Canada’s very own Triumph. The eleven-track record was released on September 11, 1986 with Mike Clink (Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Megadeth, UFO) and Thom Trumbo producing.
Too this day the album continues to polarize the bands fans. The Sport of Kings has been harshly criticized for the albums heavy use of keyboards and the band’s shift to a more radio-friendly song style.
While The Sport of kings doesn't contain the guitar driven sound fans have grown accustomed to, it does make up for it with catchy melodies and killer hooks. In my opinion The Sport of kings was going to made whether longtime fans liked it or not.
By 1986 ,most bands were softening their sound to get greater exposure on radio and video stations to reach a wider audience. So whether if it was pressure from the record label or Triumphs own desire to compete on an international scale with the " big boys" like Journey, Foreigner and Boston they had no choice but to create and album that would cater to the current commercial radio and video trends .
Granted, the album does sound slightly outdated ,but songs like Tears In The Rain,Somebody’s Out There, Don't Love Anybody But Me and In The Middle Of The Night still sound pretty good and any band from that era would love to have any of those songs in their repertoire .
If you like 80’s rock then look no further than The Sport of Kings from Triumph.
