Fearless

Product Information

Rather than clobber its audience with complexity, Fearless creates a world you want to spend time in. And the lyrics, 'If life is a wheel / Please, let it spin,' has that Neil Peart enthusiasm and optimism for life. The fuzzed-up lead solo is infectious, and the sub-four-minute affair is over in the blink of an eye. Unfamiliar with the debut currently (although I will rectify this ASAP), the composition, in the words of drummer and vocalist Cody Bowles, “spans hundreds of years following our titular hero: Fearless after the events of (2021 single) ‘The Oracle. Virtuoso and engaging Canadian duo – guitarist/bassist/keys player Kevin Comeau and singer/drummer Cody Bowles - fuse pomp, pop and rock on brilliant 2nd LP.

Such is their skill, however, that Bowles and Comeau manage to beguile me in an equally strong way, and I’m drawn utterly into the slower, more introspective soundscape that they create, especially as the intensity builds throughout to deliver a rousing, spinetingling finale to the album.

band, Badlands with those high Zach Slaughter (Skullfist in case you need reminding) eighties metal vocals. Covering 2112 to Signals, the first stretch of this track is a textbook example of Rush's classic years.

So much so, that it’s an album winging its way to me as I type, one that I cannot wait to add to my CD collection. II," readily conjures the sound and scope of Rush's 2112, the album is clearly the product of 2023, its fantastical, character-driven plotline functioning as a parable for real-world discussions about capitalism, colonization, and Indigenous struggle. There is no point in this song that you will stop tapping your foot, nodding your head, or singing along to Bowles’ extremely catchy melodies. A power duo from Canada, Crown Lands play a style of progressive rock with classic rock and psychedelic leanings that would normally not even cross my mind to check out. With such a powerful and all-encompassing opening composition, the concern is that maybe the remainder of the album will pale into insignificance.

That said, the biggest strength to the song is the multitude of wonderful melodies that pull me in, sometimes lurking around a hidden corner, or bold as brass, culminating in a stunning, aching lead just prior to the 15-minute mark, which then acts as the gateway to arguably my favourite passage of the song, the quiet introspective pause, followed by something much more upbeat, urgent, and addictive.