ERIK LARSON (Faith, Hope, Love) CD
A few years ago, when I received Erik Larson's solo debut 'The Resounding', I was surprised by its diversity and melancholy. In opposite to his main-band ATP, the album was free from any southern sludge metal, but stronger focused on blues, folk and rock 'n' roll. Now it's time for his second effort 'Faith, Hope, Love', which is much heavier than the previous one and closer to his work with ATP. In combination with the dark lyrical content it seems, as if Erik Larson has been gone through a tough period in his life, so this is maybe a big release for himself. Although he managed to achieve a good album with this one, I whished he had continued the more traditional ways of American music, because 'Faith, Hope, Love' isn't very different to the sound of his main-band.
Maybe my expectations have been a little bit too high, because this isn't a worse album. Some songs are outstanding, while a few others don't impress me as they should, but what I like about 'Faith, Hope, Love' are Erik Larson's musical skills. He played all instruments by himself, and apart of being a heavy riff-centric guitarist with raspy wiskey-soaked vocals, he's also convincing as bassplayer and drummer. In combination with the powerful production, this album sounds as if a real band had recorded it. If you are a big fan of ATP , you should give this disc a try, which has been released by Small Stone Records again.
(KK)