Band:	Thin Lizzy
Album:	Renegade
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	1981
Guest review by:	omne metallum

01. Angel Of Death
02. Renegade
03. The Pressure Will Blow
04. Leave This Town
05. Hollywood
06. No One Told Him
07. Fats
08. Mexican Blood
09. It's Getting Dangerous
10. Trouble Boys [1981 single version] [2013 Deluxe Edition bonus]
11. Memory Pain [1981 single b-side version] [2013 Deluxe Edition bonus]
12. Hollywood [extended 12" mix version] [2013 Deluxe Edition bonus]
13. Renegade [edited 7A version] [2013 Deluxe Edition bonus]
14. Hollywood [edited 7" A promo version] [2013 Deluxe Edition bonus]

Renegade is the 11th album from the diminishing force that was Thin Lizzy come the early 80s, slowly losing their prowess to a mix of addictions and inter-band tensions. Renegade is an album that manages to swim, let alone keep its head above water, which is a feat given the anchor that the issues befalling the album were.

Renegade is not a bad album by any stretch; it is often gifted its position as one of the band's worst albums only because other albums are better than it is, rather than Renegade being inherently awful. Not hitting the heights of other albums, it doesn't sink below bad except for one song ("Fats"), which is great for what is supposed to be the worst album. The album has a charm of its own, with tracks like "Hollywood" or "Mexican Blood" endearing themselves to you rather than crashing onto the scene like classic tunes of old.

White lays down some good blues-inspired guitar work that is often overlooked in the Thin Lizzy canon; between the mastery of Moore before him and the melting metal attack of Sykes afterwards, White is unfairly lost in the middle. The bouncy "Leave This Town" and straightforward "The Pressure Will Blow" may not be as attention-grabbing but that does not mean they don't have their own charm or that they are bad.

Lynott does seem to dial it in at times lyric-wise; the charm and poetic wit that adorned much of the band's discography is noticeably absent at points on this album. "Fats" is the tale set to a tune that often served to be a highlight before, but it seems like a caricature of previous efforts and token attempt. Alongside what aren't his greatest lyrical moments, Lynott's voice seems weaker and more strained than previously, leading to an awkward one-two of weaker lyrics being delivered with less impact than before; given Lynott's increasing drug use around this time, it's not hard to see where these problems stemmed from.

The biggest problem this album has is in its production; it is devoid of any power beyond that naturally occurring in the music. Even classics like "Jailbreak" would wilt with this production. The banging drum for in "It's Getting Dangerous" should sound like booming strikes, but come off as just being there. Chris Tsangarides either did not care or had his mind elsewhere, because he has done so much better in his career, but he really lets the album down here. Check out Vader's cover of "Angel Of Death" to hear much power the music could have had (though keep in mind some of it is from being Vader).

An album for fans of the band, if you are only a casual fan or someone trying them for the first time, stick to "Black Rose" or "Jailbreak" and leave this towards the end; it won't put you off the band by any means, but you won't realize just how great this band were if this is your jumping on point.