Alibi

Alibi is the third album, on which Vandenberg refined the outline of melodic hard rock around Adrian Vandenberg’s singing guitar. Released on Atco in August 1985, it was the first Vandenberg album recorded in the Netherlands (Soundpush Studio), produced by Jaap Eggermont with mastering by Bob Ludwig. The cover — Maya civilization and crocodiles in a red sunset — is again Adrian’s own painting. Bert Heerink’s emotive singing enriches the space between the hard riffs. The instrumental-leaning “Pedal to the Metal,” the forceful “Fighting Against the World,” the sharp “Dressed to Kill” and the racing “Kamikaze” show the band’s strength of technique and melodic sense standing side by side across the album. It leans not on flash alone but keeps a European shadow. This was the band’s final studio album for about 35 years, until Adrian joined Whitesnake — a stately peak of the 1980s classic era.