Desperado was originally assembled as a sort of a supergroup, comprising Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Bernie Torme (Gillan), Clive Burr (Iron Maiden) and a fresh bass player by the name of Marc Russell (Neil Murray was not available for the gig). Together these guys recorded Ace, a fine hard rock album in 1989, which has remained in the vaults until now.

The strong combo of Snider and Torme is the undisputed motor of this outfit. Snider’s vocals are quite impressive and emotive as a scream rocker, showing that there is indeed a more delicate side to his outrageous Twisted Sister persona. At some points his vocals are favorably reminiscent of Gary Cherone (Extreme).

Torme’s guitar licks are tasteful and vital, introducing finessed, at times even inventive touches, within the wild, unrestrained rhythm guitars and the typical shredding solos, which are performed here eagerly and skillfully.

On a few rare moments on this recording, particularly the relatively long instrumental conclusion of "See You At Sunrise," the band in fact manages to suggest early Iron Maiden with its raw attitude and juvenile spark. This adds up to the band’s energized performance and good songwriting, making this release commendable, at least as far as ‘80s pop metal goes.

The album sees the light of day on Angel Air and Cleopatra’s Deadline Music concurrently. While both releases deliver the same musical portion, the Angel Air release is the one to look for, as, like most of the label’s other releases, it features detailed liner notes whereas the Cleopatra release has none (except for the bare essentials – track list and personnel). (7.7/10)