Gary Moore - Dark Days In Paradise (1997) {Japan 1st Press}

By the late '90s, guitarist Gary Moore was at a career crossroads. Should he continue on the path that brought him his biggest stateside success (Still Got the Blues), or try something a bit contemporary? The ex-Thin Lizzy member decided on the latter, issuing Dark Days in Paradise, an album that saw Moore utilize electronic beats and, of course, his trademark soaring guitar work, rather than blues-rockers. And you have to give the guitarist credit – he does venture outside of what you'd usually expect from a new Moore album, whether it be the Beatlesque "One Fine Day" (which contains a bassline quite similar to the Fab Four's "Rain") or the keyboard-heavy ballad "Like Angels" (which sounds like it's straight from 1987). While fans of Victims of the Future may be left wondering where the hard rock went, Dark Days in Paradise will be an interesting listen for fans curious to hear Moore trying new approaches.