Fans Of The Dark: Fans Of The Dark

This latest addition to the long recent line of Swedish melodic rock bands started (as many releases seeing the light of day now seem to do) as a one-man project during the height of the initial Covid-19 outbreak, that man being Freddie Allen, ex-drummer of the band Houston. He enlisted school friend Alex Falk on vocals, later adding Oscar Bromvall on guitar and Robert Majd on bass, both who have played with a number of bands on the current scene. For lyrical inspiration Fans Of The Dark look to the glory days of Hollywood, hence many of the song titles, which does give them a bit of a USP.

The album opens with the lengthy "The Ghost Of Canterville" which, whilst not exactly a prog epic, is a slow burner which flows well between different sections, with Bromvall’s harmonic leads a stand-out, partly because they have a bit of an edge lacking in a lot of melodic rock these days. Falk’s voice is quite quirky and possibly an acquired taste, but distinctive at least. Following this, "Escape From Hell" is more of a standard AOR rocker, reminding me of a slightly grittier Survivor. "The Running Man" is a punchy number which has a catchy chorus.

After this I found the album drifts a bit with the songs becoming more generic and repetitive and Falk’s voice starting to grate a little. Things pick up for the final number, "Zombies In My Class", which is another lengthy track but it does have some drive which is lacking on some of the other songs.

Overall, there is definitely some promise here, and the band - at least at times - are trying something different, but this is in the end only a partially successful album, and Fans Of The Dark need to step up a gear with any sophomore effort in order to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Tracklist:
01. The Ghost of Canterville
02. Escape From Hell
03. The Running Man
04. Dial Mom For Murder
05. Life Kills
06. Rear Window
07. The Foreigner
08. Zombies In My Class

Added: November 28th 2021
Reviewer: Tom De Val
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 697
Language: english

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