BLACKRAIN

(FRANCE)

DYING BREED

(2019)
LABEL:

SPV STEAMHAMMER

GENRE:

HARD ROCK

TAGS:
80's, Easy-Listening, High-pitched vocals
"BlackRain offers a brilliant and flawless opus that has all the elements to meet success with lovers of a melodic hard-rock fed with hair-metal from the 80s."
LOLOCELTIC (13.09.2019)  
4/5
(0) opinions (0) comment(s)
This is a team that has the merit of not giving up anything and we must recognize that it would be a real shame if it did. Continuing its rhythm of a record released every two or three years, the French band BlackRain are back with a "Dying Breed" marked by the return to the controls of Chris Laney (Pretty Maids, Crazy Lixx, etc...). The producer had officiated on "License To Thrill" in 2008, this opus remaining the ultimate reference for many of the band's fans. If "It Begins" (2013) wanted to launch the quartet's international career - it had come up against Sony- "Released" (2016) had seen BlackRain rubbing shoulders with more modern sounds, still under the direction of Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, John Lennon...). With this new opus, the Haut-Savoyards seem eager to return to the fundamentals of their identity and seem a little disillusioned by the difficulty of breaking into the international scene when you are a band of French origin.

Launched by an eponymous title with festive choirs and contagious energy, the new collection of former finalists of "La France has a unbelievable talent" gathers all the elements that should allow him to squat on the Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon FM waves. It must be said that the recording took place in Sweden, Swan's host country, and that the northern style is obvious in terms of clear and powerful production. The other brand that is still unavoidable is the one left by the glam-US bands of the 80s within the band's influences. The shadows of Mötley Crüe ('Hellfire'), Twisted Sister ('Blast Me Up', title of "It Begins" re-recorded for the occasion) or the early Bon Jovi ('We Are The Mayhem' and its chorus with the scent of 'You Give Love A Bad Name', or'Rock Radio') hover over this opus.

But if the French are disillusioned, they are not destroyed and they turn their disappointment into a raging energy. Powered by a roaring bass, the snarling "Nobody Can Change" is one of the best examples. "Dying Breed" quickly reveals itself as a summary of what BlackRain can do best. Catchy choruses for each track, unifying choirs that will certainly be joined by the live audience ('Dying Breed','Rock Radio'), varied atmospheres, sometimes festive, sometimes raging ('Public Enemy'), without forgetting the inevitable mid-tempo ballad with palpable emotion and beautiful arrangements ('All Angels Have Gone') and the imparable single cut for FM waves ('A Call From The Inside'). All this is superbly interpreted by a Swan perfectly mastering his vocals, a pair of sharp and complementary guitars, and a rhythm section that it would be a shame to underestimate as it offers a beautiful richness of varied and technical lines.

Once again, BlackRain offers a brilliant and flawless opus that has all the elements to meet success with lovers of a melodic hard-rock fed with hair-metal from the 80s. A devilishly catchy and superbly produced work, it would be a pity, even unfair, if this opus were not recognized for its true value and if it did not allow its performers to take a new step towards the heights of this genre in order to obtain the recognition they deserve.
- Official website

TRACK LISTING:
01. Dying Breed - 3:50
02. Hellfire - 4:05
03. Blast Me Up - 3:40
04. Nobody Can Change - 4:19
05. Like Me - 3:44
06. All Angels Have Gone - 4:11
07. We Are The Mayhem - 3:31
08. Rock Radio - 3:34
09. Public Enemy - 3:58
10. A Call From The Inside - 4:24

LINEUP:
Frank F: Batterie
MatH: Basse
Max 2: Guitares
Swan: Chant / Guitares
   
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