The Alarm
Declaration

If you think that “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Pride (in the Name of Love)” are generational anthems, you have never listened to Declaration, the first album by The Alarm, released in 1984.

The statement above is, of course, provocative but the comparison with U2 is obligatory because The Alarm - wrongly - have always been compared to their Irish cousins, overshadowed by the former's worldwide success and relegated to the role of poor relatives or dismissed, due to their militant rock, as the more Clash-oriented version of Bono and co, doing them an injustice twice! Because while The Alarm's music certainly has a Punk sentiment and a vague influence from the Clash, the savvy listener will notice upon first listen that Declaration is not just a faded copy of U2 and Clash but has its own personality and an original style that is well identifiable.

The explosive power of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Pride” is undeniable, yet, in the opinion of your reviewer, it does not surpass the infectious and melodic power of "Marching On," "Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?", "Blaze of Glory," "Sixty Eight Guns," and “Shout to the Devil,” all included in the Welsh quartet's debut LP. To put it bluntly, I think that U2's career beyond the first half of the '90s is largely overrated. Apart from the undisputed masterpiece of The Joshua Tree, the Dublin band produced the first three albums, very interesting, with some epochal songs, but overall still immature, and three noteworthy but not always consistent albums (The Unforgettable Fire, Rattle & Hum, Achtung Baby). This was necessary and sufficient to consign them to Rock history, but it does not detract from the fact that the rest of their production is negligible, at best.

And please, don't shoot the reviewer.

Mike Peters, Eddy McDonald, Dave Sharp, and Nigel Twist, Welshmen from Rhyl, founded Seventeen in 1981 but soon changed their name to Alarm, after the first track they performed live, “Alarm Alarm,” and recorded some singles that earned them some notoriety in the London Rock scene of the time, leading them to open for concerts by Jam, Boomtown Rats, and U2, who in the summer of 1983 wanted them as a support band during their American tour.

In the spring of 1984, they released their first album, Declaration, and rarely has a title been more fitting to the content because this “socially aware” album is truly a declaration of intent; it is in fact the Constitution of The Alarm, which, with acoustic guitars prominently featured, combines a Folk approach with the urgency of Punk. In two words, Combat Rock, or rather Combat Folk-Rock. But, as mentioned above, any reference to the Clash is misplaced, as Declaration proves to be more influenced by Dylan and Woody Guthrie and indebted far more to the protest song of the early '60s than to the anarchic thrust of late '70s Punk. Try listening to “The Stand” to believe it.

Declaration differs from the previous year's releases by U2 (War) and Big Country (The Crossing) and surpasses them, thanks to the genuine and vital energy of the songs, the furious electro-acoustic intensity of the band (famous for their fiery live performances), and Mike Peters' passionate vocal interpretations, capable of rivalling Bono Vox.

The album, which within a week reaches sixth place in the UK top 20, burns with youthful idealism, somewhat naïve, and audacity bordering on arrogance, but the songs are irresistible anthems with which the four Welshmen urge the listener to change the world and fight the oppressors by any means necessary. The militant "Marching On," the thrilling "Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke?," the martial "Blaze of Glory," and the anthem "Sixty Eight Guns" are epic calls to arms with captivating choruses and unforgettable melodies. “Third Light” is a punk invective against war, sung over the grave of an unknown soldier. The bittersweet “We Are The Light,” “Tell Me,” and the splendid “The Deceiver” reveal The Alarm's melodic talent. “Shout to the Devil,” tribal and acoustic, and the concluding “Howling Wind” with an AC/DC-like riff sweetened by sophisticated vocal harmonies, are tracks that offer no respite. In short, none of the 12 songs on this work is anything less than overwhelming.

An epic, romantic, powerful, spontaneous, adrenaline-filled debut album. Songs that shake the soul and conscience. Declaration is truly a treasure that I highly recommend rediscovering, perhaps along with the subsequent Strength of 1985.

In subsequent works, while all enjoyable, a certain creative dullness is noticeable, with a progressively greater emphasis on the electric matrix, until in 1991 Mike Peters, after the release of the album Raw, which had marked a return to the atmospheres and emotions akin to those of the beginnings, announced the dissolution of the band.

Thirteen years later, in 2004, there was a reunion of The Alarm, which has since continued its activity, including touring, to this day.

At the risk of being bold, in terms of social and political commitment, I would compare The Alarm to our Gang. It must be said, however, that the anger and political vision of the Severini brothers is much more focused and specific, compared to the somewhat vague pacifist and social justice concerns of the Welsh band, which, however, undeniably has the merit of having realistically represented Thatcher-era Britain and continues to support "socially useful" themes.

At the end of this writing, I would like to reserve a few lines to the "cynical and deceitful" fate (as Paolo Conte would say), which gives no respite to Mike Peters, who despite having already defeated a lymphoma in 1995 and leukemia in 2005, has been facing his third battle with cancer since 2015 and, as far as I know, has not yet given up. Keep fighting, Mike!

Take this song of freedom/ Put it on and arm yourself for the fight/ Our hearts must have the courage/ To keep on marching on and on (“Declaration”).