Free Fall – Power and Volume (Nuclear Blast)
Friday, 3rd May 2013
The retro 70’s rock craze continues with yet another band emerging from Sweden seeking out those who like greasy garage styled rock ‘n roll. The latest act in question is Free Fall and much like recent offerings from bands such as Vanderbuyst and the Sticky Boys, this band provides a palette of heavy guitar riffs and thundering bass to full effect on their Power and Volume debut.
Kim Fransson’s vocals are the highlight here, given his raspy and high-pitched delivery helps the music sound vintage. He really cuts loose on tracks like “Midnight Vulture” and “Love Bombing”, but is all guns a blazing with his signature high-pitched wail on “Damnation.” Vocalists like Bon Scott and Robert Plant come to mind, but Fransson is nowhere close to sum of those parts. He’s much more than that, and on the song “Atilla” he will have you wetting your pants, while capturing the true spirit of rock ‘n roll.
Sonically, the music on Power and Volume reinvigorates the classic 70’s hard rock sound and takes their cues from bands like ACDC, Led Zeppelin and to a minor extent Accept. Guitar duties go to Mattias Barjed and bassist Jan Martens, both of whom prescribe and maybe worship at that altar of guitar god Angus Young. The music oozes that classic rock vibe and the tandem lay down some tasty licks in the offering. If I had to pick a lone track that stood out to me musically, I would go with “Top of the World” just for the sheer boldness of the riffs alone.
Bands like Free Fall who wear their old school convictions with pride might turn off some who find the style clichéd, but I feel this release is an absolute must have. They bring about freshness to their core sound that screams rock ‘n roll and the vocal talents of Fransson really standout for me. Power and Volume is the perfect title for this debut and I say play it loud until your ears bleed.
