When Swedish Melodic Rock/Hard Rock band Fans Of The Dark released their self-titled debut last year, I never got around to review it. Partly because of time issues – the day only holds 24 hours after all – but also partly because I just didn’t find it interesting enough. No matter good or bad, I need to find something worth writing about and that album just didn’t grab me one way or the other. But what I did remember was that they didn’t sound like any other band in that genre. The band was formed back in 2020 by drummer Freddie Allen (ex- Houston), vocalist Alex Falk, guitarist Oscar Bromvall and bassist Rickard Gramfors and got signed by Frontiers pretty much right away.
The new album, however, brought something that I found interesting. Can’t put my finger on exactly what, though. “It is pretty much a sibling to the first album, with similar themes and ideas, only this time going deeper into the world where most of us grew up, and where we first got in touch with hard rock music, horror films on VHS, 80’s teen culture, and all else that shaped us – the suburbs,” said Allen, main songwriter and founder of the band of the new album. That’s a topic easy to relate to.
Opening track “Night Of The Living Dead”, also chosen as the first single, is a real stompy and crunchy Hard Rock groover with a pumping bass-line and an energetic and steady beat with a chunky riff that catches on. The darker laden vocal melody contrasts fine with the melody-hooks. The foundation is 70’s Hard Rock with the in-your-face catchiness of the 80’s, especially the pop-flirting chorus is strikingly infectious. Great stuff. It’s followed by the 8-minute epic track “The Pirates Of Maine”, a heavy, dark and slow-paced tune. It holds a chuggy riff and it winks at proggy moments. Mostly it goes back to early 80’s melodic Hard Rock with memorable melodies all over and a distinct chorus hook and the eight minutes passes by in no-time. Very good.
Also a single, “Fantasia” is a rowdy piece, faster in tempo with gritty guitars and muscular rhythms that’s clearly influenced by NWOBHM from the early 80’s. It’s a heavy and edgy rocker that kicks up some dust, for sure but it never leaves out the memorable melodies and the chorus is of Melodic Rock nature, very catchy and easily embraced. Very good. “Sick! Sick! Sick!” is a straight ahead hard-rocker with some sharp Metal riffing, galloping bass-work with a nod towards Iron Maiden. The hard edges are rubbing shoulders with direct melodies and an in-your-face refrain that will work brilliantly from the stage. Good tune.
“Fright Night” brings on a prominent bass-line that with the punchy drums bringing on a galloping rhythm on a straight forward beat. The guitars is raw and edgy with crispy grovel and the tune goes into classic Heavy Metal territory. It’s still melodic enough and the refrain grabs a hold right from get-go and brings on a larger musical landscape. Very good. “Fans Of The Dark” brings on some sparking, crunchy guitar riffs, a darker ambience and a steady and muscular rhythm. It’s pretty straight ahead and contains poignant pop laden vocal melodies and a chorus that’s more Melodic Rock than the Hard Rock verses. Very catchy. Good stuff.
“The Goblin King” is the fastest track on the album. It’s a slammin’ rocker with firey riffage and a kicking rhythm. Style wise the song ends up somewhere between 70’s Hard Rock and melodic Metal from the late 80’s/early 90’s. There’s a distinct live feel here but we also get lots of hooks and an in-your-face and contagious chorus. Very good. Closer “Restless Soul” is another 8-minute epic gem. It starts out in a slower pace, almost a ballad but still heavy and dark on a beefy beat and robust guitar riff with smooth guitar-lines on top. It gets a dramatic arrangement when the mellow vocal-lines enters. The chorus turns around into an AOR meets Melodic Rock structure, smooth yet dark but always catchy. Then the song changes gear and goes faster and heavier before it goes back to how it started. Very good indeed.
To sum it up it’s easy to state that even though this album is a sibling to the debut both lyrically and musically it’s a big step up quality wise. The band blends Hard Rock, Metal, Classic Rock and AOR and the genres marries brilliantly without ever sounding contrived or pretentious. The production is groundy and even organic with a down-to-earth attitude and there’s an underlying darkness in the whole soundscape. And the band do sport a sound of their own. The downside is that it also feels somewhat budget at times production-wise. It’s well-written and well performed and it bodes very well for the future.
7/10
Tracklist:
1. Night Of The Living Dead
2. The Pirates Of Maine
3. Fantasia
4. Sick! Sick Sick!
5. Fright Night
6. Fans Of The Dark
7. The Goblin King
8. Restless Soul
CD & Festival reviews 