Rather than aping the grandiose rock & roll style pioneered by
Jim Steinman and
Todd Rundgren on
Meat Loaf's landmark Bat Out of Hell album, German producer Frank Farian opts for a standard-issue heavy metal approach on
Blind Before I Stop, emphasizing a heart-stoppingly loud rhythm section (sometimes playing at Euro-disco tempo), icy keyboards in the mid-range, and endlessly diddling high-pitched guitar solos on a series of forgettable tunes. Somewhere in the back of the mix,
Meat Loaf exercises his adenoids, but all of his usual distinctiveness is lost in the sludge. ~ William Ruhlmann