The final album from longtime Canadian hard rockers Harem Scarem hearkens back to the band's classic, crunchy early records, which earned them a cult following seemingly everywhere but in the United States. Bursting onto the scene in 1991, the band has been through musical, personnel and even name changes (Rubber, anyone?), but on Hope, Harem Scarem comes full circle with monstrous, big-chorus and ultra-melodic tunes such as "Days Are Numbered," "Never Too Late" and the ballad "Shooting Star." A few other tracks, including "Dark Times," "Time Bomb" and leadoff track "Watch Your Back," combine the past with the band's latter-day modern-rock tendencies. Who cares if vocalist Harry Hess – who still sounds as strong as he did on classic cuts like "Slowly Slipping Away" and "Saviors Never Cry" — sings clichés like "Is it the dark before the dawn/Or just the calm before the storm"? In "Nothing Without You," Hope's final song before an acoustic bonus track, he also sings the line: "It's hard to walk away." The feeling is mutual. R.I.P., Harem Scarem.
Track Listing:
1) Watch Your Back
2) Time Bomb
3) Hope
4) Days Are Numbered
5) Dark Times
6) Beyond Repair
7) Never Too Late
8) Shooting Star
9) Calm Before the Storm
10) Nothing Without You
11) Higher (Acoustic) (Bonus Track)
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