One of the few bands of note to have emerged from Denmark, Fate made
a distinctly mixed comeback in 2006 with the V album which for me was
ruined by the sandpaper-rough vocals of Per Henriksen. I assumed we had
heard the last of them but they have regrouped with an album that they
promise marries a modern approach with their commercial late eighties
albums such as A Matter of Attitude. But with only bassist Peter
Steincke from the original line-up, the connection to those days is
tenuous.
From the spectacular keyboard intro to Children of the Night it is
clear that the band are back on the straight and narrow, and that new
singer Dagfinn Joensen is a real find, having power and range to his
voice and the clear vocal enunciation so typical of Scandinavian melodic
rock. He proves that the Faroe Islands has more to offer than sheep and
bobble-hatted goalkeepers.
Yet this is no fest of fluffiness; for example the chorus of Seeds
of Terror marries a strong hook with a menacing, almost Halford-esque
vocal sign off, while Fear of the Stranger follows the blueprint
established by Rainbow Rising.
Its an album that could potentially appeal to fans of Euro power
metal as well as a more AOR crowd. Guitarist Torben Enevoldsen is
allowed to let rip at every opportunity, and the duels between guitar
and over the top keyboard solos from Mikkel Henderson are a feature of
the album throughout and very reminiscent of fellow countrymen Pretty
Maids.
Nevertheless it is the more melodic moments that work best for me.
Daddy’s Girl (with the same lyrical theme and sparkling keyboards as Bon
Jovi’s Runaway) is one of the catchiest songs I have heard all year,
All that I want would not be out of place as the power ballad on a
Whitesnake album and The Last Time and I Believe in Rock n Roll have
more massive and instantly catchy choruses.
Not all the 13 tracks hit the mark and there are a couple of fillers
, but this is an unexpected comeback from a band who rival Skagarack as
the best musical exports from the land of mermaids and Lego, and one
which will hold appeal to a wide spectrum of tastes.
Andy Nathan
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Next session: Sunday 1 December
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024
ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)
Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
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