Growing up in New York City in the '80s, I was lucky enough to see a fair amount of shows at the famed heavy metal club L'Amour. Located in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn, the now-defunct live venue played a major role in the early careers of bands like Type O Negative, Biohazard, and Overkill.
One of the groups I caught at L'Amour was a local act called Cities. Featuring Twisted Sister's A.J. Pero behind the drum kit, the band played a style of metal that brought to mind Warlord, Jag Panzer, and Lääz Rockit. I first learned about the band through seeing one of their videos on U68, a public access channel that aired heavy metal videos on a show called The Power Hour.
Featured on both their 1985 EP and 1986 album (both strangely called Annihilation Absolute), "Stop the Race" is far and away Cities' best song. I remember playing the shit out of it when in junior high school. Vocalist Ron Angell is a hell of a singer, letting loose some high-pitched madness during the song's anthemic chorus, but using his natural register throughout the verse sections. Guitarist Steve Mironovich's riffs are top quality as well. It's too bad he and Angell went MIA from the metal scene after Cities broke up in 1987.
