You have to give a label credit when they are willing to take a chance on a band that basically breaks the mold of what that said label are known for. In the case of Sweden's Free Fall and their new release for Nuclear Blast, Power and Volume, this is as far removed from melodic death metal, black metal, thrash, or symphonic power metal as you can possibly get. These guys wear their influences on their sleeves, and it's nothing remotely close to what we normally expect from acts on this legendary label. Taking their cue from Bon Scott era AC/DC, as well as perhaps a little Krokus, Accept, and even The Who, Free Fall have put together a fun little album here in Power and Volume that once again proves just how well musicians from Sweden are able to hone in on classic hard rock & metal sounds from the golden era.
For those of you who perhaps tired of the AC/DC formula over 20 years ago, there's probably not going to be a hell of a lot here to entice you, but, if you favor and still cherish those first few albums featuring Bon Scott, Power and Volume will take you right back to that era. "Midnight Vultures" could have easily come off of Let There Be Rock, with singer Kim Fransson doing his best Scott impression and Mattias Bärjed laying down plenty of Angus Young inspired riffs and solos, while "Top of the World" is more than a dead ringer for Headhunters era Krokus. "Love Bombing" features some twangy guitar that will take you back to the early days of the The Who's Pete Townsend but the catchy vocals are delivered by Fransson in true Bon Scott fashion, and "Meriola Blues" has a grinding blues-rock-metal feel that is not unlike British legends UFO.
Though I'm not the worlds biggest AC/DC fan, I could totally appreciate and get into much of Power and Volume and certainly see its appeal and potential to fans of this style of hard rock & metal. Sure, Nuclear Blast has taken a chance adding Free Fall, and even acts like Graveyard and Kadavar to a lesser extent, to their roster, but with so many other labels who specialize in heavy music also signing these retro artists, you have to strike while the iron is hot. This is good, fun stuff for all you hard rockers out there!
Track Listing
1. Power & Volumue
2. Free Fall
3. Midnight Vultures
4. Top Of The World
5. Attila
6. World Domination
7. Love Bombing
8. Damnation
9. Meriola Blues
10. Meat
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