Once again I encounter a band that’s been on the go for a fair while and yet I’ve never heard of them. Today’s band I need to apologise to (and start looking for the back catalogue of) is German goth rock combo The Fright. Canto V is their fifth release and their first through Steamhammer/SPV. It’s also a cracking bit of music and you can get your hands on it right now as it came out on October 13th.
Immediate comparisons can be made to the Sisters of Mercy, at least courtesy of my limited exposure to goth-y bands, and it’s a favourable one. Less electronic and more rock. The Fright have the dark tones, but the ability to create some great riffs to go with them. Check out opener “Bonfire Night” below, with its intro sounding like the beginning of a spaghetti western. Forty seconds in and *bang*, here comes the rock. And the eyeliner.
This singalong beast is no fluke, however. Canto V is littered with them. Second track “No One” is pretty upbeat for a band of this nature, very rousing, but deserves to be cranked up loud. “Leave” is similar and had my foot tapping in no time.
Proving they’re not a one trick pony (or collection of ponies) are tracks like “Century Without A Name” and, to a lesser extent, “Fade Away”. Slower, and for some of their lengths, darkly balladic. Top pick for this reviewer, though, is “Oblivion” which sits in the middle of this tracklist. I just think it has a bit of everything and does hark back to the classic bands a bit more than other songs, bringing back some nice memories – mainly as I was a lot younger when I listened to them!
Canto V is an album I was a little unsure of when I first popped it on. A little too much like their forebears. However, I’ve now played it through maybe ten times and I’m liking it more with each listen. Definitely one I’m glad I plucked from our review pile.
Header image by Liss Eulenherz Photographie
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