Winger were never a band I was a great fan of, until that was their third album , 'Pull' made me sit up take notice. Since then, two solo albums apart and an appearance on the excellent Xcarnation albm Mr Winger has been somewhat quiet. Until  now that is... 'IV'  molds the sounds Winger, the band, employed on the 'Pull' album with Winger, the man's, solo work and, for the want of a better term, adds a progressive element into the mix. (I thought long and hard about the use of the term progressive as a lot fans run a mile when they  see the word, but it needs to be used in this instance).

My initial reaction on first listen to 'IV' was definitely positive and I suspected that new boy Cenk Eroglu had had a big input to the album’s song writing, however a few quick emails soon dispelled that notion and whilst the record is reminiscent in places of the Xcarnation album 'IV@ has been written, in the main, by WInger and guitarist Reb Beach. Eroglou however has played keys and  guitars on the majority of tracks with the exception of Four Leaf Clover.

Anyway back to the review. 'IV' opens with an extended intro and acoustic piece before the guitars kick in and drive 'Right Up Ahead' along in an modern, but melodic vain. 'Blue Suede Shoes' on the other hand opens with what I believe is a bass solo piece with affected vocals before the song takes a right turn, with the introduction of acoustic guitars into the mix and, as with many tracks on the album, featuring a military influence in the lyrics . The aforementioned 'Four Leaf Clover' is up next, a very positive number looking for the best in the worst of situations and helped along by a circular, intense guitar riff. 

M16 continues the military theme and is definitely one of the heaviest tracks on the record whilst 'Your Great Escape, which was written I believe that was written by Beach, could easily have been lifted from a Joe Satriani album, the musicianship is that good and then add a great set of lyrics, what more could you ask for? The musical depth that is inherent throughout 'IV' is typified by 'Disappear' a very complex number indeed which is followed by 'On A Day Like Today' which harks back to Winger's solo albums. Slightly slower in pace the song breaks the pace of the album up nicely and features a truly stunning extended guitar solo.

Livin' Just To Die features another brilliant guitar riff and is a song that could easily have featured on an earlier Winger album. And then we get to the most "progressive" song, 'Short Flight To Mexico'. Extremely complicated guitar parts couple with some excellent drum work courtesy of Rod Morgenstein though should definitely help keep the listener involved however. Like wise 'Generica' which keeps the progressive feel going with more than it's fair share of mood changes throughout its length. The album closes out with 'Can't Take It Back', a slow burner of a song topped off by huge vocals and a number that builds and builds before all to suddenly coming to an end.

So there you have it Winger, the band's, first studio album in over a decade and a remarkable accomplishment, although an album that in truth may not appeal to those longing for a Winger album of old. Reviews on the internet so far have been, at times, fairly negative with comments along the lines of 'it's not very instant' or 'it has no hooks' fairly commonplace. Whilst to some extent I can understand sentiments like this, this reviewer would have to completely and utterly disagree.

On first listen I thought 'IV' was good, but on repeated listening the album just shows more and more depth, revealing itself more clearly with every listen. 'IV' is an album that you have to invest time into in order to reap the full benefit.

Dougie