Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Dare
Label: Legend Records
Release: 2018
Running time: 51:46
Rating: 4.5/5
Anyone for whom the word Dare means more than just a Slovenian man’s first name will tell you it’s a veteran British AOR outfit that made its name with its debut studio album »Out of the Silence«. That came out way back in 1988. So, 30 years ago. Crazy how fast the years fly by, and where they go. »Out of the Silence« was recorded at Bell Air studio, owned by Joni Mitchell, and its sound was shaped by engineer Mike Shipley, who later worked with Nickelback. A massive, towering, majestic sound. Full of pomp and bombast, on par with their then-hot countrymen Def Leppard. In short, »Out of the SIlence« also has that sheen of a sonic-innovation landmark.
Now, Dare, who decided to re-record their debut with the band’s current lineup, didn’t approach this project with the kind of sonic hair-splitting their countrymen FM showed not long ago, where you really have to listen closely to tell their new version of the debut »Indescreet« from the 1986 original, because the two sound that alike. The main creative force behind the whole Dare story is Darren Wharton, who once played keys in Thin Lizzy and recorded a few of their albums too. Alongside him, the lineup that re-recorded »Out of the Silence« features original members Vinny Burns (guitar) and Kev Whitehead (drums) , plus »Blood From Stone«-era bassist Nigel Cutterbuck and keyboardist Marc Roberts.
Through 2016 and 2017 Dare stepped up their live activity considerably and returned to some of the more prominent festival stages of the old continent. They were presenting their latest album, their seventh studio record overall, »Sacred Ground«, and alongside it they were playing as many as six songs from »Out of the Silence« in their set. Evidently they felt the album needed a fresh dose of new essence, a sonic and arrangement makeover.
Cult AOR classics like »Out of the SIlence« are, as a rule, not to be touched or desecrated in any way. Or are they? A bold move. This is one of the most striking and most representative albums of that “prehistoric,” nearly extinct genre that blossomed through the eighties. It’s an album that’s exceptionally polished, in sound and in songwriting alike. Hard to add or take away anything if you wanted to improve it.
Luckily, Darren Wharton has kept an outstanding vocal character into his mature years. His tone hasn’t really changed much at all. Luckily, neither have his range, expressiveness and power. So vocally, the new versions don’t stray far from the originals. The guitar phrases are pushed more generously to the front of the mix, while the keyboard arrangements take a back seat. That’s why the album sounds livelier, harder, more rock. The vocal harmonies, too, aren’t as ostentatiously pompous as on the original. Vinny Burns, meanwhile, really let loose on guitar and, as usual, stretched the solos out a bit, completely reworked them, and in a way tried out things he’d always wanted to try inside the songs but usually only got the chance to on stage. Judging by his contribution to the new version of »Out of the SIlence«, Vinny remains a superhero of guitar virtuosity. Special attention goes to the classic King Of Spades, dedicated to the late Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy). Dare have always loved weaving Celtic (folk) motifs into their music. King Of Spades, which as a composition already has one such leading motif at its core, gets crossed with folk elements even more in the new version, and includes an extended instrumental outro that delivers a proper dose of Celtic folk sound. .
»Out of the Silence II« came through the “refresh” successfully. Let’s be honest: the band didn’t even need it, unless there are copyright issues, which usually come down to the label the album first came out on (in this case A&M Records). So why do it? The answer is simple. Because they can. In its new version, »Out of the SIlence« is an album with fresh life breathed into it, with new lifeblood and essence, while it keeps its exceptional charisma and grandeur. In other words, the new version works perfectly well. It’s incredible, listening to this evergreen album today, how much expressive power it still holds. It’s never hard to slap the label on it, again and again, that it’s one of the most beautiful and majestic AOR products ever created by humankind in this solar system. Mission accomplished for Dare, and the band promises a new studio album next year, and this airing-out of a classic served them as a nice warm-up before they step into the creative process of writing material for the next record.
Line-up
Darren Wharton – vocals
Vinny Burns – guitar
Marc Roberts – keyboards
Nigel Cutterbuck – bass guitar
Kevin Whitehead – drums
Production
Darren Wharton
