The Damnation of Adam Blessing's second LP (sometimes attributed in discographies to Damnation) went in a harder rock direction than their 1969 self-titled debut. The result was a more stylistically consistent, yet overall less interesting effort that was closer to the standard of competent, but below-top-of-the-line early Midwestern hard rock bands, lacking some of the pop influences that were among the most interesting attributes of their prior album. It's not totally run-of-the-mill, though, since
Adam Blessing was one of the best singers in the style, and since the group were more adept at background vocal harmonies than almost any other similar bands of the era. "Death of a Virgin" and (to a lesser extent) "Everyone," actually sound closer to the likes of
Moby Grape and some of Quicksilver's more song-driven material than Midwestern hard rock; this and some other tracks are graced with some particularly exceptional bass playing by Ray Benich. Cuts like "Driver" and "Back to the River" are more typical of their approach, though, relying on pile-driving blues-rockish riffs and pummeling drums, boringly so on the overlong "In the Morning." ~ Richie Unterberger