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FREE FALL
Power & Volume

Nuclear Blast (2013)
Rating: 7.5/10

I have to admit that Nuclear Blast has really been surprising me lately with bands like Bullet, Black Star Riders, Free Fall, Graveyard, Witchcraft and Orchid. It’s almost a label-driven revival of 70s hard rock, a glorious time when bands sounded very much the same and yet completely different all at once.

Sweden’s Free Fall has that barroom vibe that was probably best represented by the first couple of AC/DC albums, Uriah Heep and Thin Lizzy. And they are very good at it. They won’t be winning any originality points, but you simply can’t deny that Power & Volume is full of energy and talent.

The album kicks off with the romp and stomp of the title track. Laden with fast guitar licks, tin can drumming and in-your-face, semi-screechy vocals that command your attention, the song is a good reminder that being completely raw can still be a good thing in the era of the digitally smooth. ‘Free Fall’ and ‘World Domination’ bring a little stadium feel into the mix with a gigantic vocal and poppier guitar riffs that reveal certain Who fandom.

The band have a darker, slightly heavier side though that separates them a bit from the current crop of 70s-inspired road dogs. ‘Attila’ is an excellent example, with haunting rhythms backing some lead bass and Robert Plant-inspired vocal work (Led Zeppelin). It’s got a downtuned heaviness to it that resonates perfectly. It quickly became the highlight of the album for me and has stayed at the top spot through repeated listens. ‘Damnation’ is another heavier moment, with a marching bass line and a wall of crunchy guitars that has a slightly more modern feel to it. ‘Meriola Blues’ has big, heavy crunch to it as well that you can’t help but bob your head to it. It has a similar feel to Candlebox’s better moments.

The main problem here is simply that for every great moment you can name another band that it sounds derivative of. For some, that will be a bigger stumbling block than others, but it doesn’t concern me all that much. As with any vinyl from the 70s though, if you play it loud as hell you are less likely to care about its eerie similarities to other bands.

Overall, this is a fun rock ’n’ roll record that you’ll enjoy for a good while, but may not find yourself still listening to ten years later.

Mark Fisher

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