TRIUMPH was a Canadian hard rock band that was often taken for granted. They were never the most popular or the most talented, but would churn out excellent rock’n’roll for almost two decades. They reached the height of their popularity during the late 70s and 80s. They released ten studio albums between 1975 and 1993, eight of which would receive gold and platinum awards for sales in their home country and five would achieve that status in the United States.
The band was formed during 1975 by drummer/vocalist Gil Moore, bassist/keyboardist Mike Levine, and singer/guitarist Rik Emmett. Guitarist/keyboardist Rick Santers was added in 1984.
In 1988, Emmett left TRIUMPH to pursue a solo career. The best-of album Classics was released in 1989 and yet another gold album was added to TRIUMPH’s tally. While there is no denying the greatness of the material included on Classics, it was a set that was issued to fulfill the group’s contractual commitment with the label, and as a result was not all it could have been – especially in the packaging department. Levine and Moore recruited a new vocalist/guitarist, fellow Canadian Phil X.
TRIUMPH contributed the song Troublemaker to the soundtrack of 1992’s Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth. In 1993 the new lineup released Edge of Excess on Victory Music, which featured Troublemaker and Child of the City. They did some shows in north America but finally dissolved.
In 1995, the entire TRIUMPH catalog was remastered and reissued on CD: In the Beginning (which was the first TRIUMPH album) and the original version of Rock ‘N’ Roll Machine, appeared that year.
In 1998, Rik Emmett resisted overtures from his former bandmates for a potentially lucrative twentieth anniversary US tour, stating he was not interested. Nevertheless, Moore and Levine purchased and acquired back their entire album catalogue from MCA and launched their own label TML Entertainment, and they continued to release live recordings and videos from their long career.
In 2003, TML released a live DVD album called Live at the US Festival originally recorded in San Bernardino, California at the US Festival in 1983. This historic festival, attracting nearly 250,000 rock fans, also featured Van Halen and The Clash. TRIUMPH had earlier released this concert on VHS following the Never Surrender tour, featuring two videos from the forthcoming Thunder Seven album. In 2004, TML released a second DVD concert, A Night of TRIUMPH, filmed in 1987 at Halifax Metro Centre during The Sport of Kings. The most comprehensive TRIUMPH anthology, Livin’ for the Weekend: Anthology, was issued in 2005. A CD of extended versions of some of the band’s most popular hits called Extended Versions: TRIUMPH was released in 2006.
Gil Moore now owns and operates Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, originally opened in the early 1980s for TRIUMPH’s exclusive use, which also trains engineers and sound technicians for Canada’s music industry.
On March 10, 2007, TRIUMPH was inducted to the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York Hotel. All original members of the group were present at the event. This first meeting in nearly twenty years appears to have broken the long silence between Rik Emmett and his former bandmates, but a recent interview with the guitarist did not promise a TRIUMPH reunion. Emmett cited Gil Moore’s full-time career at Metalworks, plus the fact Moore has not performed as a drummer since 1993. Bassist Mike Levine also does not seem to have much interest in touring at this late date. But TRIUMPH’s one-time camaraderie seems to have rekindled, and there may still be future collaborations on some musical level. For example, Nick Blagona mastered Rik Emmett’s latest hard rock project, Airtime (2007), in the Metalworks mastering suite.
On April 6, 2008, TRIUMPH was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame as part of the Juno Awards.
Lay It on the Line was released as a DLC song for Guitar Hero 5 on October 22, 2009.
In may 2010 they released Greatest Hits Remixed, a three disc set which encompasses their career. The DVD disc contains many of their videos. The final disc contains three bonus videos that should please hardcore fans of the group. They include Child Of The City with Phil X on guitars, Blinding Light Show, which was a bootleg video filmed by a fan, and Love Hurts from a YouTube video.
In 2011, the band reissued Allied Forces as a vinyl package for their 30th anniversary.
On July 14, 2011 TRIUMPH Lane, in Mississauga ON, was officially dedicated in honour of the band.
On August 28, 2012 the band released a CD+DVD package of their June 7, 2008 reunion concert in Sweden titled Live At Sweden Rock Festival on Frontiers Records in Europe and on the TML label in Canada and the United States
In 2013, TRIUMPH was inducted into Legends Row at the inaugural ceremony held at Mississauga City Hall.
Phil X gallery with TRIUMPH
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