Fronted by one of the godfathers of melodic Rock in Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), the melodic rock project First Signal release new album ‘Face Your Fears’ today. (17th February).
Face Your Fears maintains Canadian native Hess‘ knack of delivering top notch material perfectly suited for his remarkable voice on a record that sees him collaborate with producer and musician Michele Guaitoli. The latter has helmed albums by the likes of ISSA, Visions Of Atlantis, Kalidia and SheWolf and is also the vocalist for Visions Of Atlantis, Temperance and ERA.
First Signal began in 2010 as a partnership between Hess and producer Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Khymera). With Swedish producer/drummer Daniel Flores (The Murder Of My Sweet, Find Me) replacing Ward a second album, ‘One Step Over The Line’ was released in 2016, followed by ‘Line Of Fire’ in 2019 and ‘Closer To The Edge’ in 2022.
‘Face Your Fears’ is a terrific vehicle for a Hess’ voice, a voice melodic rock fans have been loving since the release of Harem Scarem’s debut album back in 1991. You can hear Scarem all over the songs on this album but you can also hear other, more European and heavier influences too. Hess has always been a musician who has experimented with his sound and not let the rules and conventions of the genre confine him. Hence the Queen-like influences that have crept into his work at times over the years, the transformation of Harem Scarem into ‘Rubber’ for two albums around the turn of the century and multiple appearances on projects like Gary Hughes’ ‘Once and Future King’ and ‘The Voices of Rock’ album from 2007.
The heavier sound on ‘Face Your Fears’ is born out of two influences. Firstly, First Signal’s behemoth of a record label, Frontiers and their European-centric outlook and secondly, the collaborators on this project and the very heart of the melodic rock world exist in Europe now and not America. Consequently, there is a lot of frenzied guitars and double bass drums on this album which some Harem Scarem fans might not initially appreciate.
The album opens with the thunderous ‘Unbreakable’. A huge chorus about love and strength is a feature here on a song that feels like it could have been lifted right off Harem Scarem’s classic 2003 album, ‘Higher’. Some chunky guitar riffing helps Hess send out ‘an SOS through the darkness’ on this song too.
The Euro-metal sound is also at play on tracks like ‘Dominoes’, ‘Situation Critical’ and the title track, ‘Face Your Fears’. The latter is a relentlessly frenzied monster of a song on which Hess sings about not being afraid. ‘We’ve been lied to forever,’ he sings, ‘don’t know up from down’. It’s an uplifting song of empowerment with a terrific guitar solo to boot. ‘Dominoes’, meanwhile is another hard & heavy mix of Hess’ distinctive vocals and bombastic riffing. In a genre not know for its lyrical complexity Hess has always been an interesting lyricist and someone whose words demand closer attention. You’ll need that on ‘Dominoes’. ‘Situation Critical’ has a darker, heavier tone and some crushing double-bass drums. There’s an intensity to this song that leaves it as one of the finest songs on the album and a real balls-to-the-wall, Euro-tinged Rock epic.
Where ‘Face Your Fears’ really excels, however, is when Hess takes his foot of the peddle a little and lets in a little light and nuance. ‘Rain for Your Roses’ is the best song on offer on this album. It’s an atmospheric, Queen-style classic, especially during the chorus segment when Hess sings the, ‘love of my life’ line. This could be a deliberate homage to Mercury or an accidental one but either way, it’s delightful. The originality on offer here on this song can only come from a skilled songwriter with decades of experience. Similarly, ‘Never Gonna Let You Go,’ has some awesome chugging guitars and a very Harem Scarem style cadence to the melodies. ‘I would run through walls for you,’ Hess declares as he goes full-on soppy, leaving behind the double bass drum assault for a while. There’s some Def Leppard-esque sensibilities here on the guitars and the backing vocals that work really well too.
Further joy can be found on ‘Not This Time’ and the huge ballad, ‘In the Name of Love’. The former has some interesting effects on Hess’ vocals and a kind of late 90s , early 00s Danger Danger meets Harem Scarem feel to it that is both infectious and interesting. ‘In the Name of Love’, meanwhile, is a huge piano ballad on which you can hear all of Harry Hess’ 30 years of graft and experience. His powerful vocals are front-and-centre early on before the instruments kick in on the second verse. Chugging guitars turn the song all ‘Rock Opera’ by the second chorus and the listener is carried on home on a wave of ambitious and original music.
First Signal is a huge sounding album for Harry Hess. Part Euro-metal, part melodic Rock, it grabs you by the scruff of the neck out of the traps and never lets go. The frenzied guitars and double bass drums are a tad relentless at times but where this album shines is where Harry Hess and his collaborators stand back and breathe a little. There’s a nuance and a skill on many of the songs on offer here that will leave this album sitting nicely embedded within many people’s ‘Top 10 of the Year’ lists come December.
Tracklist: 1. Unbreakable 2. Situation Critical 3. Shoot The Bullet 4. Always Be There 5. Dominoes 6. Rain For Your Roses 7. Face Your Fears 8. Never Gonna Let You Go 9. Not This Time 10. In The Name Of Love 11. Never Be Silenced Record Label: Frontiers Release Date: 17th February Buy ‘Face Your Fears’ now
