One thing I like about Fans Of The Dark is their press shots. For once, it’s not obvious what type of music they play. You can get tired of those poker-faced-man-in-black-leather poses, but Fans Of The Dark demonstrate a certain sartorial elegance, and singer Alex Falk’s burnt orange hat, and drummer/founder Freddie Allen’s faux-crocodile suit, make it tough to put a finger on their musical genre. Perhaps ‘70s soul/funk, I wondered? But I was wrong as they turned out to be a fairly new melodic hard rock band from Sweden, with Video being their third release in just three years.
As well as a strong visual identity, Fans Of The Dark have a common thread to their lyrics which is based around their love for the cinema. I guess that explains the curious name of the band too. Allen explains the cinematic link: ‘The album Video and in particular the song Let’s Go Rent A Video is about growing up in the 80’s and 90’s and how great it was to have access to a local video store. The whole idea about going there as a group or alone and deciding on what you were going to watch. It was something you could spend a whole night on, a pastime, something to occupy your thoughts for quite a while. These days we are struggling with our attention spans for just a few seconds. The video era was the opposite of that, everything took time”. Too true. Let’s Go Rent A Video was the lead single and it’s easy to see why. It’s a glorious slab of ‘80s nostalgia with chugging guitars, a singalong chorus, and a hook line on keys. It’s somewhere between Toto and Survivor and is one of those songs that puts a cheerful smile on your face, whether you want to rent a video or not!
The album kicks off with the other single, Meet Me on The Corner, described by the band as ‘Bruce Springsteen meets Journey, a Born To Run type of song’. It certainly does roll along in a Springsteen sort of way, but without ever losing that AOR sheen. This isn’t just another ‘80s style AOR album though as the band turn up the heat with faster numbers such as The Neon Phantom 80s and the impressive The Wall which boasts the best riff on the album.
The upbeat songs are cleverly interspersed with slower (and lengthier) mid-paced tracks. Christine is a good example of the latter with its pulsing bass during the verses (reminiscent of Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell) that leads to a more anthemic chorus. The longest track, and probably the highlight of the album, is The Dagger Of Tunis which has an infectious chord progression in its chorus and a much more modern hard rock feel. There’s the usual ballad, Tomorrow Is Another Day, which is nicely soulful both in the vocals and the guitar break.
To complete the package, the excellent album cover. It’s all warm colours, nostalgically representing a video rental store on an empty street. I’m not sure who the monster on the roof is but I’m guessing it’s yet another film reference.
AOR albums are ten a penny, but Video does stand out from the pack. Some of that goes down to the tight crisp production, and some to the strength of Falk’s vocals. But of course, it’s the songwriting that matters and Fans of The Dark demonstrate an unerring ability to imitate the best of the ‘80s while adding their own modern touch. Fans of AOR and melodic rock will certainly enjoy this one.
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