Fight Or Flight - A Life By Design?

Published July 22 2013

*=Staff's pick	First Of The Last* Emphatic It's Over Eraser* Leaving If It Hurts You Refuse The Average* Take A Shot A Void* Shine Tragedy

Genre	Hard Rock	Dan Chandler	Vocals
Tracks	12	Dan Donegan	Guitar
Running time	42 Min.	Jeremy Jason	Guitar
Label	Warner Bros Records	Sean Corcoran	Bass
Release	23 July 2013	Mike Wengren	Drums
Country	USA	-	Keyboard
Producer	Dan Donegan
Similar artists	---

With Dan Donegan's and Mike Wengren's main band on undefined hiatus, they set up to explore new grounds. I was caught by surprise when I heard the album for the first time, since I was expecting something way more similar to Disturbed or perhaps something akin to David Draiman's work with his project Device, meaning that they wouldn't have huge new shoes to fill and they could stay safe back on their own turf.

Fight Or Flight shows a near complete different approach, as they have stepped away from their modern hacking and chomping heavy metal they've been so acquainted with for more than a decade and instead set their aims for something that will basically be labeled as modern hard rock. It's more melodic, rock-radio oriented and mature now, instead of an attacking force on all cylinders, armed to the teeth with an angry vocalist up front.

I find similarities in pieces of the structures and when some of the patented and easy recognized Donegan guitar riffs kick in. Yet with an additional guitar set for rock and more real and classic guitar solos as well as the few ballads, we get a different sound to the whole picture combined, as the melodies significantly differ from what I've heard from them before. Lead singer Dan Chandler could have been stronger the way I see it. Certainly not bad, just too common or ordinary to level things up.

This release proves a wide span and I believe that this record will sell quite a few copies in the States, while the European market probably will be harder to convince. Fairly good American hard rock that doesn't impress over the top. What's impressing though is that they take this effort rather far away from their regular duties. On the other hand, what's the point of duplicating themselves and become a replica of their main band? This is certainly not Disturbed 2.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
6	4	6	5	6

Summary
6 chalices of 10 - Tobbe