AMG Review of Back to the Trenches

Rob Theakston
All Music Guide

With more than a few live albums under their belts during an esteemed career, one would think that another live album could only help reinforce the notion that Nazareth are capable of delivering the goods in a live setting just as well as in the studio. That notion is certainly supported here, as Back to the Trenches is a two-disc, 31-song affair that spans the years considered by many to be the band's most crucial in developing its signature sound. The early years of this anthology date back to the early '70s, when the band could be found at the top of its hard-rocking, blues-driven game, and works its way through all of the band's biggest hits before concluding with two songs from a Slough, UK, concert in 1984 -- a time that would be considered by most of their core audience to be the beginning of the "lean years" for the group. It's a great document for one of AOR's most consistently hard-driving bands, and die-hard fans will be pleased at the quality and quantity (certainly a generous portion for the money) of the Nazareth performances heard here.