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Fans Of The Dark: Suburbia
Fans Of The Dark - Suburbia Album Art

Fans Of The Dark: Suburbia

Melodic Metal Rock
4.5/5.0

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Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 14.09.2022 | Released: 16.09.2022

Sixteen months since their debut album arrived, Swedish band Fans Of The Dark (FotD) returns with their second effort, Suburbia. The band was formed by drummer Freddie Allen, and the songs written for his high school friend and FotD vocalist Alex Falk. The band returns with a minor personnel change: new bassist Rickard Gramfors replaces Robert Majd.

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Fans Of The Dark

Musically and lyrically, Allen admits that Suburbia is a "sibling" to their self-titled debut. FotD intends to revive the music and its themes from the Seventies and Eighties. To the former, musically, the band continues to revive and retrofit classic hard rock and melodic metal for the second decade of the 21st century. Fans of the classic rock and metal will recognize the major ingredients: tough but harmonic riffs, vocal harmony, an assertive rhythm section for rock groove, and bristling and satisfying guitar solos. In my opinion, Suburbia may be somewhat heavier and sharper than the previous album, perhaps having a more melodic metal edge. You'll find this with such songs as Sick! Sick! Sick! or Fright Night.

Which leads us to our lyrical themes. Fans Of The Dark, again, revisits some classic media themes. Wherein Suburbia can have both historic and familiar references. The former can be found in Night Of The Living Dead, the aforementioned Fright Night, or The Goblin King. The last song is inspired by Muppet master Jim Henson and George Lucas' historic monetary film failure Labyrinth featuring David Bowie. (Fans and critics still debate the songs artistic value.) To the latter familiar reference Allen and company, and reader who also may have grown up in the same era, will recall how many sci-fi and horror movies to the monsters, terror, and gore straight into quiet enclaves of suburbia's cookie-cutter developments. It was teens or young adults versus evil. Let the blood splatter. Finally, you'll notice that Suburbia counts only eight songs over less than 40 minutes, an homage to the heady days of vinyl recordings. It's deja vu all over again.

All said, if you liked Fans Of The Dark's debut album, its music and themes, you will find Suburbia to be an equal and complimentary follow-up: classic melodic metal rock with creepy themes. Recommended.



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The Take Away

If you liked Fans Of The Dark's debut album, its music and themes, you will find Suburbia to be an equal and complimentary follow-up: classic melodic metal rock with creepy themes. Recommended.

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