Oh how I’ve missed you FarCry! And what an uplifting message to the title track that comes rushing out of the speakers to greet you like an old friend (albeit with a new voice)! FarCry is indeed back with album number three a massive ten years after their last release – the wonderful and in retrospect ironically titled ‘Optimism’! Shortly after that release of course vocalist Mark Giovi left the band and in 2013 the band ground to a halt with guitarist Pete Fry calling time. But if you have the calling to Rock and Roll then it’s hard to ignore and in 2015 Fry teamed up with new vocalist Bob Malone for a project that eventually, though not intended at the time, retained the name FarCry. And here it is album number three…
FarCry 2021 is a different beast to the original vintage though and whist the songs capture the feel good Melodic Rock sound of the previous two releases the 2021 line-up retains only Mr. Fry (remember though that ‘Optimism’ saw a new rhythm section and added a second guitarist). who here lays down some sublie guitar and more than memorable solos.
‘Stay Away’ is a great song and along with the opener makes you realise how much we’ve missed the band; and ‘I’ll Find the Way’ a slower number that turns into a tasty mid-tempo rocker that follows gets thigs off to a great start. The deeper you dig though the more you realise there is something missing though, and whilst we get the melodies, the great riffs and the harmonies we’ve come to expect there’s something that doesn’t quite click. If I’m honest I’m not sure exactly what it is and when ‘I Am Your Man’ kicks in, which just happens to be one of the best here, it’s the last thing from your mind.
There’s certainly plenty to love here and whilst Bob might not quite have the punchiness of his predecessor he pulls off the songs in his own inimitable style. Stuff like the more metallic ‘Reaper’ is pretty cool and I think actually suits his voice better than some here. Along with that and the opening salvo my favourites would have to be the smooth commercial sounding ‘Broken Dream’, the feel good ‘Chasing Rainbows’ which I must admit I love, but I’m not such a big fan of the upfront vocal which seems to dominate the mix; and closer ‘Weight of the World’ which adds a nice eclectic ending. Welcome back!
