Fear Not: Weight Of The World | And In This Corner…A Heavyweight!!!
(2025 – Roxx Records)
Does anyone remember these friendly guys who, long ago and far away, more precisely in 1993, released their first album? Those were the days of long hair and milkshakes, Sunset Strip, 80s hard rock, etc., and that’s what Fear Not was all about back then. I confess, I never liked them, and that first album really seemed to me like a portrait of a bygone era. I don’t know what happened after that first album, but this reincarnation of Fear Not convinces me much, much more than the band’s old days. Perhaps musical maturity has borne fruit, but whatever the case, this Fear Not has a lot to give and say.
If I ever manage to fulfill one of my dreams (to travel by car along Route 66), “Weight Of The World” would definitely be part of my travel playlist. In just five songs, Fear Not develops a style that has little to do with their early days, but which is much more effective. Mind you, it’s not that they’ve burned their bridges with the past, but rather that their style is much more refined, precise, and perfected.
This EP of just five songs (a preview, as guitarist and band leader Larry Worley told us at the time, of a future full-length album) navigates the waters of hard rock, with reminiscences of southern rock and a strong emphasis on guitars, which sound loud and dominant in each of the tracks included.
The first track, which gives the EP its title, begins with a strong riff, shaping a mid-tempo song that already conveys a lot of strength and ferocity. In contrast, “Blue On Black” sounds like a classic ballad, the kind that invites you to go out and explore a beautiful route surrounded by valleys and mountains.
“Crashin’ Down” was not only the promotional track for this EP, but it is also an explosion of heavy, direct, no-nonsense hard rock, with a powerful and catchy chorus. With “A Circle Complete,” the decibels and tempo drop, giving us a mid-tempo track with a mix of classic and slightly bluesy guitars.
The interesting “Finish Race” closes this EP with an unmistakable aroma of American country music and leaves us with the feeling that this 21st-century version of Fear Not is much more effective than the one from the 1990s. First of all, because this Fear Not seems much more musically evolved, even though their music continues to embody the hard rock genre. The lower tones, both in the sound and in Eddie Green’s voice, take the band into new territory, and we think that’s great. Secondly, it now seems that Fear Not thinks first about the song and then about the catchy rhythm, which results in a handful of powerful tracks, giving the feeling that we are on the verge of a great new album. In addition to all that, the current lineup of Fear Not seems to be a well-oiled ensemble, which is clearly demonstrated in this work.
The sound that Fear Not managed to capture in this “Weight Of The World” really hits hard. Kyle Simpson’s mix placed a lot of emphasis on Larry Worley and Chris Sorensen’s guitars, giving each song on this EP a lot of power. But don’t forget, Rod Romero’s bass sounds as fierce as it can be, and every beat of Gary Hanson’s percussion also has its own thing going on. What stands out most is that in each song, there is raw power and minimal intervention from technology. Fear Not manages to sound great, and thanks to the work done in engineering, mixing, and mastering, the result couldn’t be better.
We found the cover to be excellent and very original. It conveys the message and concept that the band wants to convey in an illustrated way, with images that we really liked. The inside of the booklet follows the same line and graphic style as the cover, and contains not only the lyrics of the songs included, but also technical data and a photograph of the band. We thought it was very good that the physical edition of this CD maintained the style of the acrylic box. No cheap cardboard, “Weight Of The World” is worth it in physical edition. I assure you.
And that’s it? Of course, it is often difficult to analyze an EP that only contains five songs, as is the case with “Weight Of The World,” but I can say without fear of contradiction that what little this EP has to offer is really worth it. Then, when Fear Not’s next full-length album arrives, we’ll see (or rather hear) if they stay on the same track, or even if they turn up the decibels even more than what they’re showing us on this album. We’ll just have to wait and see. “Weight Of The World” is a free (and good) sample of the direction Fear Not may take in the future. Let’s hope so.
Here are the links to follow Fear Not on social media and also to get this EP in physical format (which we always recommend, of course). And to listen to something from this excellent EP, here’s the track “Crashin’ Down”….
https://www.facebook.com/FearNotRoxx
