Freddy And The Phantoms

Times Of Division

Written by: PP on 18/12/2014 00:04:50

Not a big fan of the band name, truth be told, which is why it has taken me this long to reach the debut album "Times Of Division" by the Copenhagen based Freddy And The Phantoms. Never judge a book by the cover as they say, because their record is easily a contender for the best rock album released by a Danish band in 2014. If you're capable of writing a song like "Down Down Down" with its infectiously catchy blues rock chorus, you're also able to compete on even ground against international top names in the genre, such as Rival Sons, Alabama Shakes, The Parlor Mob, or Wolfmother to name but a few colossal bands comparable to the sound presented by Freddy & co on this record. Locally, their soulful approach to riff-driven blues rock is best aligned next to the now-defunct Wrong Side Of Vegas, though the professional production and crystal clear sound on "Times Of Division" is far better than anything the Odense based blues rockers released during the short-lived career.

The first thing you'll notice about "Times Of Division" is the sheer amount of soul embedded within the voice of Frederik Schnoor. His wails are like straight from the 70s, completing a retro rock picture that toys with harmonica, southern state rock on "Borderline Blues" and organ melodies resembling Wolfmother on multiple occasions. But his supporting cast deserves much credit, too. The guitars are drenched in pedal effects whilst they concentrate on groove and classic rock solos, but delivered with the energy of a band that knows they've written a bunch of great songs for an album. Still, the spotlight is absolutely stolen by the fantastic vocal performance of Mr. Schnoor whose talent for writing convincing blues vocal melodies is nothing short of fantastic throughout the record. Even on tracks like "On The Sidewalk" that are more danceable by nature his croons are a pleasure thanks to a very well working dynamic between the riffs and his parts.

It is extremely rare to stumble upon a Danish band playing retrospective rock'n'roll without unnecessary worship of Guns 'N' Roses records. It's even more rare for this to coincide with excellent songwriting talent that defies their origin and unknown status as a band. With a voice like this, and songs as good as these, sky's truly the limit for Freddy & The Phantoms.

8

Download: Down Down Down, No One To Blame, Times Of Division, Borderline Blues
For the fans of: Rival Sons, Wolfmother, Alabama Shakes, The Parlor Mob, Wrong Side Of Vegas
Listen: Facebook

Release date 18.08.2014
Target

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.