Album review : FATE – Reconnect’N'Ignite

Frontiers [Release date : 18.10.24]

As Frontiers Records powers up its fourth quarter release schedule for 2024, it’ll be interesting to see if the label can maintain the quality we have become used to.

Already with good stuff from Fans Of The Dark, Radioactive and House Of Lords under their belt this month, we’re now looking at a new album from Danish hard rock band, Fate.

Founded in 1984, the band’s journey since has been eventful to say the least. Their former members list fills a page, and a huge career gap appeared between 1993 and 2006.

The reality is, despite a couple of decent albums, most notably Cruisin For A Bruisin (1988) and Scratch and Sniff (1990), it was the arrival of guitarist Torben Enevoldson in 2011, and the return of vocalist Per Johansson in 2023 that resurrected the band’s career.

As the bass heavy rhythms provide an anchor for a series of ragged edged rock songs, Enevoldson’s axework becomes the glue that holds the music together.

His wiry, torqued up guitar work underpins most tracks on the rather clumsily titled Reconnect ‘N’ Ignite. Most notably ‘Around The Sun’s powerful melodic hard rock, and ‘This Won’t Last’, arguably the album’s most accessible track, energised by Johansson’s gravel throated vocals as he faces down the end of the world.

‘I’m On Fire’ and ‘Under The Gun’ are honest, meat and potatoes hard rock, tuneful, in the fashion of Sammy Hagar fronting AC/DC. Johansson’s voice struggles a bit to gain traction on the upper slopes, but once Fate are in the groove they can’t be shifted.

The Gothic metal flavours of the otherwise wordy, Coverdale styled hard rock of ‘Running’ and ‘Hold On’ clearly go off at something of a tangent, with Johansson acting out the vocal parts with vigour. The cumulative effect is attractively strange and melodically compelling. And totally unexpected.

That said, ‘Reason For Everything’ is just as much a standout. Enevoldson’s guitar climbs on board Torblom’s speeding keys, and the band head out on a Magnum like foray into the world of melodic symphonic rock.

Something for everyone. ***

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 14 October 2024

ALT BLK ERA Come On Outside (indie)
THE NEW ROSES Hold Me Up (Napalm Records)
ROYALE LYNN Sacrifice (indie)
BLACK NOTE GRAFFITI The Source (Golden Robot Records)
ANNIE AND THE JAYS Too Shallow (indie)
JULIET’S NOT DEAD Open Fire (TMR Rock Records)

Featured Albums w/c 14 October 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 KINGS OF MERCIA Battle Scars (Metalville)
14:00-16:00 JON BODEN & THE REMNANT KINGS Parlour Moods (Hudson Records)