Fair Warning - Sundancer

Fair Warning
Sundancer
SPV/Steamhammer
2013
7
Back after a 4-year hiatus, these German guys are surely missed by all melodic hard rock fans. The music quality of this band is unquestionable so what’s left after that? Huh, the hooks and the songwriting in general. I do think it’s better for a band to take its time and come up with something actually strong rather than release mediocre (or bad) works every once in a while.
 
Fair Warning still have all those elements that made them quite famous back in the early 90s. Surely there won’t be another album like their debut but that doesn’t mean that they cannot make good music in due course. “Sundancer” opens prominently with the melodic hard rocker “Troubled Love” thing which showcases that the party has just begun! Then we get the wonderful rockers: “Keep It in the Dark”, “Man in the Mirror”, “Jealous Heart”, “Touch My Soul”, the sentimental “power” ballad “Real Love” & the emotive mid-tempo “Send Me a Dream”. The production was done by the band themselves. It is balanced & rockin’ without being very loud or polished. Really nice in general if you ask me.
 
The only objection I have is about the running play of the album. I think the guys should have left 2-3 (mediocre) tracks out so that the clock would point at around 45 minutes and not 61 as it is now. Anyhow, that thing doesn’t lessen the album’s music quality or the band’s spirit to deliver good melodic rock tunes. “Sundancer” is a really nice album by a great German rockin’ band which probably hasn’t got what they deserve all these years…