Customer Reviews

Time to Burn

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had always been interested in these guys but had never bought an album by them until recently, when I ordered this one from Amazon.com. Fans on sites ...raved about this band and this album, .... This album is incredible.

How can you go wrong with rockers like "Chained", "Lay It On The Line", and the title track? All have over-the-top melodic vocals and instantly memorable hooks. Ballads like "Stay" and "I'll Be There (When It's Over)" also represent the best of what this genre is about. "Stay" is one of the best power ballads I have heard in years. Too bad it wasn't a hit, but it sure will make it on a future burned CD music mix of mine. "Lost In Paradise" is another exceptional song, the epitome of a great rock anthem. Comparisons to Def Leppard in their prime are valid when I think of songs like this--and coming from me (a huge Lep fan) that is a compliment.

I strongly encourage all melodic rock fans to pick this one up. At least as good as most popular rock album put out by '80s "pop metal" bands, and better than plenty of them.

I first heard this CD while lying in bed with a stomach upset, but it quickly kicked me out of it - the bed and the trouble!
Giant is so unknown in Germany. I went to the photokina 2000 in Köln and was surprised - Wow, now they have crossed the atlantic!
But the new album should not be so good? I don't know.
I've been testing so many Rock-CDs, Christian, Non-Christian, but then I see: it is the standard. I like XT, Fighters, David Mullen, Whitehearts, Angelica (all christian groups). Once I tested a new album of Scorpions. (Still loving you, Wind of change, Send me an angel are so great with Klaus Meine as a Hard-Rock-Caruso) and I really asked myself, if I like Hard-Rock and if there could be good music. Then I put 'Time to burn' in my player. What a difference. The ballads 'Lost in paradise' and 'Now until forever' even speaks more to my heart then Klaus Meines wonderful sung 'Still loving you.' 'Lost in paradise' has more tension, more sorrow, more feeling.
Yes, this Rock sounds like the 80ties, but isn't that great? I can't hear those heartless 'Soul', Hip-Hop, Rap, Techno any more and good rocksongs have been destroyed by the silly techno beat with weak voices. Some songs are really fast and you can sweat in deep winter while dancing. It's a lot more power than Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi have in the 80ties, not talking of them in the early 90ties. (Then I dropped my interest in their music.)

Real 'Hard'Rock, melodic, sometimes aggressive power, but never trashy...

I never thought Giant had it in them. Their first album was pretty good and usually everyone's first was pretty good. But along came the sophomore slump and that just doesn't exist on time to burn. It is by far their best effort heads above Last of the Runaways. With songs like Thunder and Lightning, Stay, I'll be there, Giant has won me over. I would suggest that if you don't have it get it, a great set of songs from a group that should of been around longer than they were.

Dann Huff, David Huff, Mike Brignardello and Alan Pasqua had the difficult task of puttin' out a follow-up album to the wonderful LAST OF THE RUNAWAYS. Many thought they couldn't quite do it...they were wrong.
TIME TO BURN, Giant's 2nd effort is a great AOR album, from the opening "Thunder and Lightning" to the killer "Get Use To It".
The album's agreat collection of AOR anthems, almost all co-written with the help of Brit producer Terry Thomas (Bad Company, Foreigner). The result is not as wonderful as it was on the first album (where almost 90% of the songs were co-writen by Mark Spiro), but it goes highly recommended.
"Stay" was the promo single for the record (though it had a different version, with more keyboards, and it was shorter in length).
"Now Until Forever" is a killer ballad, where "I'll Be There (When It's Over)" and "Without You" come as close as a radio-friendly AOR track could get.
Great AOR music, great production...get it now !!!

Before forming Giant, frontman Dann Huff was an in-demand session musician. He worked with such music heavyweights as Michael Jackson and Amy Grant. Huff decided to team up with his brother Dave and signed a record deal in 1989. Their first single "I'll See You in My Dreams" actually cracked the Top 20. Sadly, the album didn't sell that well. Giant returned in 1991 with Time to Burn.

"Thunder and Lightening" kicks things off with energetic guitar and pounding drums. Dann Huff's vocals are the pinnacle of 80's melodic rock. The twitch of the keyboard adds just the right texture. An extended acoustic jam leads you into the powerful chorus of "Chained." Huff pushed his range to the limit on the harmonic bridge and chorus. It's another round of melodic fury on "Lay It On the Line." Despite the chunky riffs and pulsing keys, the track has just a hint of the blues.

What would a rock album from the 80s be without a power ballad? "Lost in Paradise" is an emotional track driven by keyboards and Huff's throaty vocals. Lightening quick guitar licks and driving riffs run rampant over "Time to Burn." "Without You" returns to the power ballad format, but with more guitars and more regrets. The chorus is an over-the-top emotion-jerker. The album concludes with the same energy it started with on "Get Used to It."

The band disbanded shortly after the release of the album. They did release a few albums here and there over the years, but Dann Huff returned to session work. He went on to work with Shania Twain, Michael W. Smith, and also produced two Megadeth albums. The list of people Huff has worked with goes on and on, and their all big name artists. If your wondering about Huff's associations with Smith and Grant, he is a devout Christian and was part of the Christian rock band White Heart prior to Giant.

The Verdict
I found this album at a yard sale three years ago and haven't stopped listening to it since. I honestly never heard of Giant before I picked it up. I can't believe how much of a melodic rock masterpiece this album it. The guitars are mighty, the vocals are powerful, and the hooks and riffs are plenty. Time to Burn is a perfect example of melodic rock at it's peak.

"Session Supergroup" Giant was formed by some of the most sought after backing musicians in the business, including singer/guitarist Dann Huff, his brother Dave on drums, guitarist Mike Brignardello, and bassist Alan Pasqua. After working with a wide array of artists from Whitesnake to Madonna, as well as spending time in Christian rock band White Heart, the Huff brothers put together Giant and took the melodic rock world by storm.

1992's Time to Burn was the band's second album, and it took a harder-edged approach than 1989's Last of the Runaways did. It's still a very melodic album, and there are plenty of keyboards, but the album overall packs a bit more punch. This heavier sound is evident right from the start, with powerhouse opener Thunder and Lightning and the hard-hitting Chained. More melodic songs like Stay and Save Me Tonight have the same feel as the debut album. Time to Burn, with its perfect blend of hair metal heaviness and AOR polish, reminds me a lot of what Bad English and Damn Yankees were doing at the time.

Unfortunately with the advent of the grunge movement, Giant, no longer welcome on mainstream radio and MTV, ended up calling it a day soon after this album was released. Dan Huff remained busy with session and production work, but was able to resurrect Giant in 2001 for the appropriately titled third release III.

I don't think it's quite at the same level as Last of the Runaways, but Time to Burn is still one of my favorite melodic rock albums. It's another first class melodic rock offering from one of the best bands in the genre. Anyone interested in AOR, melodic rock, and/or 80's rock should definitely check it out, especially while it is still available brand new for cutout prices.

Well it is!!!, it cant get any better than this, this also applies to the other album (Last of the Runways). I still remember the first time i've heard these guys, I got the tape from a friend in high school back at the days were I used to live in Baghdad, Iraq. With the first song, they jumped up there with Europe, Scorpions, and Whitesnake. The lyrics are amazing, and the only thing thats better are the guitars rockin & rollin. Too bad they departed, but I guess thats what happened with all the 80's great H.Rock bands.

Giant's 2nd dics is as great as the first. Although Dan Huff provides explosive guitar work it's the songs that count. I can listen to Giant's two discs all the time and never grow tired of them. I can't believe it's been over 10 years. Dan's into the production world now (country music and pop) but I sure hope he and the boys come back. Excellent.

A true hard rock classic! One listen to "Chained" and you'll be hooked! Dann Huff is one of the best guitarists and singers on the planet. True talent at its best, right here.

Once again, the greatest rock band to ever not make it big puts out an outstanding effort. I love the hard rock songs, but I have to take issue with the critic above when he says the ballads are their weak spot. I think they're just as dynamic and thundering as the faster songs. What's wrong with a powerful love song???? This CD is a worthwhile addition to your "turn it up" collection. You're guaranteed to dig it.