Jono Moulds checks out the new album from DARE for The Rock & Roll Circus. “Road To Eden” will be released on CD & digital on April 1st, 2022 via Legend Records.
UK Rock band Dare are probably best known for their lead singer songwriter Darren Wharton, who first rose to fame in the early eighties playing keyboards with legendary Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. DARE are one of the most respected and innovative melodic rock bands working today, and have gained cult status among AOR fans throughout Europe, the UK and the world. The band’s debut 1989 album ‘Out of the Silence’ recorded at Joni
Mitchell’s Bel Air Studio Los Angeles and produced by Nickelback producer Mike Shipley is still widely regarded today as one of the all-time great AOR albums.
Road To Eden is destined to be another modern DARE classic.
Produced and written by Darren Wharton at his studio in the majestic mountains of North Wales, the new album has a harder rock edge than previous albums, whilst still retaining the
atmospheric sound, and anthem like melodies that has become the bands trademark. Road To Eden features ten brand new beautifully crafted songs that captures the very heart of DARE.
First up is the leadoff single from the album, that is, ‘Born in the Storm’. Guitar ‘chugging’ takes an early bow, with the distant strains of a smooth, underlying synth and some further guitar, adding sustained feedback, that comes in quietly, but soon builds as the main guitar/chord pattern emerges. And then, Wharton adds a series of ‘Whoahs’ and there it is, that unmistakable vocal, with its melodic tones, with a touch of grit that takes me back all those years. Fantastic!!!
‘Wharton’ sings ‘He was born in the storm – on a cold Winter dawn’ and immediately I’m thinking to myself, ‘he hasn’t lost it, not one bit’, as the vocal is strong and in fine fettle. As the opening verse disperses, the pre-chorus kicks in, which must be said is equally as catchy as the verse, and at this stage, I can’t wait to hear the chorus, and when it arrives, I am not at all disappointed.
The chorus is instant and hits you in the sweet spot with immediate effect as it’s plainly obvious why this was chosen as the leading single from the album. Superb start to the album.
Track two is ‘Cradle to the Grave’ and we have an almost ‘U2/The Edge’ feel to the guitar that introduces the tune. This is all layered with background synth as the opening vocal appears on the scene. As the first verse drifts away, there is a lovely, sustained guitar part that feels its way into the song. The tempo, at first, appears to have slow vibe to it, but this is extinguished as the kick drum soon comes in and dictates the pace. This is further enforced as overdriven guitars are welcomed, giving the tune far more substance and energy. As you’d fully expect with ‘Dare’ songs, the melody lines both within the verse and
chorus are infectious, to draw you in almost immediately. A short, but nicely arranged guitar solo is added straight after the second chorus, before we make our exit from the song with
another chorus. Another strong song this, after the opening tune.
A serene, clean, chorus-soaked guitar starts off ‘Fire never Fades’ which is ably supported by a second guitar, producing some controlled feedback. However, this introduction is short
lived, as a power riff soon takes command of the track, but wait, this also abates rather quickly as suddenly, we are met with just vocal, and the glistening sound of a piano/synth being played. Even though the power does indeed subside, there is still the promise that the song could come back to life at any point, and so it does, as there is a kick drum to snare signal from ‘Whitehead’ and we are back!! The pace, the melody and the mix are all ‘bang on’, made even more contagious by the ‘raspy’ guitar line, that follows said melody perfectly, before leaving it in its wake and proceeds to the solo piece of the song. A song
that has multiple arrangements within it and is right up there on what I’ve heard so far. Cracking tune.
An absolute classic sounding introduction to the album’s title track ‘Road to Eden’, as an atmospheric synth plays a series of elegant sounding chords, while ‘Wharton’ hums along. It doesn’t take too long for the song to come to life though and what starts off as a potential slow burner, suddenly moves a pace, as a steady rhythmical synth line establishes the quicker tempo to the tune. More melodious guitar then beckons in the next segment of the song, while it continues to build. As we hear the strains of the opening verse, ‘Whitehead’ comes in and aligns the kick drum with the already recognised beat. Things remain simple and stripped back to begin with, but there is the promise of more to come, and so it does, as the chorus is brought to life with more guitar and the drums expand to give it further
richness. There is more fine backing vocal throughout and is worth another mention. The guitar break is exactly as you’d anticipate, that being, further melody and whilst heavily
leaning on the core of the song itself. This is a beautifully crafted song and dips in-between more Celtic infusion and a classic ballad vibe. As I said at the start, for me, this is classic
‘Dare’.
‘Lovers and Friends’ opens slowly, where a distant acoustic and piano start the ball rolling on this seemingly slow-paced ballad. The primary rhythm section is a combination of shaker and fretless bass, which gives the song a forgiving and soft vibe. The first builds slowly and emotively, which shouldn’t be a massive surprise, as ‘Wharton’s’ vocal fits like a glove, especially on this type of tune. The chorus has a romantic hook to it and hits all the markers you’d expect it to hit. This is certainly a ‘mobile phones held aloft’ during a live performance type of track. A lot softer than what’s come before, but still hooks and melodies
everywhere.
Another piano laden intro leads off ‘Only the Good Die Young’, as for all intents and purposes, we may be served up another AOR ballad, but there is a sharp ‘twist in the tail’ as the whole tempo of the song changes, as the kick-drum proceeds to signal the change. As I listen to the opening lyrics, I’m already wondering if this has been written in memory of a certain ‘Phillip Paris Lynott’, as there are some references that could lead you to that conclusion – ‘We watched the sun go down – and we watched the girls go by – down a thousand beers and drunk the whole town dry – with you by my side, we were brother to brother then’. The verses rattle along nicely, and given the emotional context of the song, there is a great pace to it.
A beautiful series of keyboard chords play out the beginning of ‘Grace’ as the bass slides in and the opening verse greets us promptly. As the tune unfolds, there is a definite ‘Richard
Marx – Hazard’ sort of feel about it, it certainly has a haunting quality throughout the early exchanges. As we head into the chorus, the song lifts, in no small part to the arrival of the
guitar that drives it forward. Within the chorus itself, there is a lovely guitar line that counteracts the vocal melody to perfection – love it. The second verse runs the same course
as the first, but the drums are fuller and there is a nice touch where the guitar sustains, which is some way in the distance of the song. Before the songs climax, there is a small respite, where we are back to just vocal and piano before the chorus is reprised and off to the end of tune we head. ‘Grace’ is an apt title for this tune, as the music compliments it excellently.
‘I Always Will’ is born out of some lightly picked guitar backed with a gentle wall of synth, as what sounds like another two guitars support the intro as well-placed power chords and lead lines are added to give it depth. ‘Wharton’ soon arrives on the scene, and there is already the promise that this song will gather some momentum, as the initial strains unfold. And so that early promise comes to fruition, as the song picks its tempo, subtlety to begin with, but ‘Whitehead’ soon lays down the marker, as the song builds. As with many of the songs on this album, you will be quickly drawn into the melody lines of both the verse and
the chorus. Now that is a skill and then some. The song is ultimately/thematically all about a sense of looking back/loss with a little sadness and remorse thrown into the equation,
however, where the song could well have been a little melancholic in terms of its musical direction, the arrangement is such that it avoids this, well, to a degree at least. This is another tuneful and beautifully crafted song.
‘The Devil rides Tonight’ is another tune that starts of all mellow and unassuming, where those crystal-clear guitar tones drive the opening, that is until those clean tones are replaced by a far more aggressive call to arms, as ‘crunch’ guitar takes full command, and you know exactly what’s to come. There is some lovely falsetto vocal from ‘Wharton’ (all in the right places), as we are yet again treated to both verse and chorus being of a high quality in terms of dragging the listener in and keeping them gripped in melodious magic. As the tune progresses at the back end, there are plenty of guitar lead lines to check out. Just
cracking.
Another mellow and stunningly constructed opening to the final track on the album, where a guitar lead forges the way on ‘Thy Kingdom Come’. This lead break continues, albeit delicately and distantly, behind verse 1, as the clean guitar gently runs out the chord sequence. Lyrically, there is yet more evidence of ‘Wharton’ taking time to reflect on his life, as he wears his heart on his sleeve by singing ‘I used to think when I was young, we would live our life as one, now I know those days are gone’ After such a gentle and emotional entrance to the song, there is a change afoot, as a clever drum pattern emerges and song gathers a little speed, without losing the initial vibe. However, a further drum pattern changes and we seem to gather even more tempo heading into the chorus. ‘Whitehead’ must have been let loose on this, as the beat alters for a third time to herald in the ‘wah’
infused guitar break, where he utilises toms and side drums respectively to create an almost ‘jungle’ pattern. The solo is expressive and well produced, possibly the best on the album, in
amongst the rest. This tune has been an awesome slab of anthemic AOR. Great final track.
There is almost an air of trepidation reviewing a new album from a band that you’ve long admired over many years, well, since the release of their debut album in fact. Many bands
seek out new styles and influences as they bound through their careers, but in the case of Dare and especially this album, they have stuck to their guns and the songs that have been laid down are true to how they started out.
You would have easily picked up during the review the common denominators, that being, superbly crafted song writing, musicianship, and the constant use of brilliant melody lines.
This album is soaked through to its skin with top of the range AOR tracks that will engross you and make you come back for more.
It’s been an absolute delight to review this album. That just about sums it up for me. Go check it out.
Review by Jono Moulds.
“Road To Eden” will be released on CD & digital on April 1st, 2022 via Legend Records. A release on vinyl will be scheduled later in the year.
PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM ON CD: HERE
PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM DIGITALLY: HERE
To promote the album, DARE also plan to tour the UK. These are all current
dates (presented by Planet Rock & The Gig Cartel):
06.10.2022 UK-Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
07.10.2022 UK-Newcastle, The Cluny
08.12.2022 UK-Glasgow, The Garage
13.10.2022 UK-Bury St. Edmunds, The Apex
14.10.2022 UK-Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
15.10.2022 UK-Bilston, The Robin
21.10.2022 UK-Brighton, Shoreham Ropetackle
22.10.2022 UK-Southampton, 1865
23.10.2022 UK-Bristol, Fleece
27.10.2022 UK-London, 02 Academy Islington
28.10.2022 UK-Manchester, Academy
29.10.2022 UK-Newbury, Arlington, Arts Centre
Tickets go on general sale at 9am on Friday 14th January via Big Cartel and www.seetickets.com.
Band Line-Up: Darren Wharton (vocals, keyboards), Vinny Burns (guitars), Nigel Clutterbuck (bass guitar), Kev Whitehead (drums), Marc Roberts (keyboards)
Check out the video for "Born in the Storm" here :-
Ceri Davies
Presenter and Co-Director
