Whitecross: Fear No Evil | Old, The Hills!
(DarkStar – 2024)
It’s been 40 years since Whitecross hit the road, back in the golden ’80s. In those early days they released excellent albums, which today are legendary releases, only to fade away into musical irrelevance until Rex Carroll’s reunion with Scott Wenzel reactivated the band. One thing is clear, and in my opinion (come one by one), Scott Wenzel, with all due respect, was never the backbone of Whitecross. That position belongs to the great Rex Carroll, original guitarist of the band and main ideologist of this new work. Wenzel is the original vocalist of the band and who carried the band with all dignity always, but the truth is that with Carroll in the boat, Whitecross released their best albums and this “Fear No Evil” is no exception.
With Scott Wenzel out of the band for reasons we won’t discuss here, Whitecross added Dave Roberts on vocals. Let’s face it, leaving aside the band’s historic vocalist is a litmus test for any band, and even more so for those who dare to put on the boots. Dave Roberts passed the test in an exceptional way. Add in this 2.0 line-up (as it has been called) obviously Rex Carroll on guitar, the historical Michael Feighan on drums and Benny Ramos on bass.
It had been years since I had heard a Whitecross album that caught my attention. The band’s ’90s post-Carroll releases never appealed to me, and with this new release, I had my serious doubts, but it’s clear that there are some people who know something more than the rest, and Carroll is one of those people. The power of “Fear No Evil” is something I haven’t heard on a Whitecross album in a long time. The first words that come to my head when I hear “Fear No Evil” are essence, rock, lead guitars, etc. That’s what this work is all about. Here there’s no way around it, it’s Hard Rock without subtleties and without strange experiments. Back to the sources where Whitecross should never have gone down. The attack is straight ahead and shakes you like never before.
Does the album surprise? Well, it doesn’t. That’s the truth. The structure and tactical drawing is as simple as the 4-4-2 formation (in the soccer) that never fails. Guitars at the front, raging riffs, a firm, hard base, and above all, the excellent work of Roberts on vocals, which makes us not miss Scott Wenzel at all.
Thus, “The Way We Rock” and “Lion Of Judah” (a track that reminds us of the Whitecross of the early days), “Man In The Mirror”, songs that raise the question well up. “Blind Man” with an interesting play of strings and a ‘southern’ air adds an interesting point. With the instrumental “Jackhammer”, Rex Carroll demonstrates his skills on the guitar with an impressive solo.
The title track, “Fear No Evil” is an almost literal transcription of a famous psalm, in a mid-tempo cut. The fury continues with “29000” and “Saints Of Hollywood” with its unmistakable glam footprint subtracted from the Sunset Strip of the ’80s (and with some phrases in Spanish, je!).
Do you remember that in the 20th century every rock album had to have a radio ballad? Well, in “Fear No Evil”, that infallible piece is “Whishing Well”. “Further On”, the song that closes this album, has a beatle smell more than ‘The Cavern’ and together with ‘Vendetta’, are demonstrative of David Roberts’ vocal versatility.
This new work appears entirely composed and produced by Rex Carroll. It was recorded in two different studios. The instrumental part in the Girder Mode Studios and the voices in the studio belonging to John Lawry of Petra, who also officiates with Carroll of recording engineers, being mastered by Anthony Focx, throwing as a result a powerful disc with the audio according to these times that run and rounding off a correct work.
The graphic section has its flats. Particularly I do not like the editions in “digipack”, and this one is not the exception. We have a cover according to what is heard on the album, with an air more Heavy Metal than the classic Whitecross covers, with a typography and logo different from the classic of the band with the interesting possibility of having an “alternative” cover as those who get their copy in physical format will notice. The inner envelope contains the lyrics and some photos of the band with its current line-up, and not much else.
Now, we will have to see what happens with the “live”, that is to say to know how these new songs sound live together with the old material of the band, especially with the voice of the new vocalist, who at least in this “Fear No Evil” is more than good enough. Whitecross proves that, despite the passage of time, their comings and goings, and other issues, they can once again be in the spotlight to provide a good rock work, without turning around and always in front.
To get your hands on this album, you can try https://www.whitecrossband.com.
