Brave Rival Delivers a Knockout with ‘Fight or Flight’: A Must-Listen Rock Album

The 16th of August can’t come soon enough as Brave Rival have a treat in store for us in the form of a brand new, 12 track album. ‘Fight of Flight’ is one to listen out for!

This release by the UK based classic rock band is an absolute powerhouse. Punchy, uplifting and heartfelt, the album gripped me from the start and had me excited to hear the next track. The album starts strongly with opener ‘Bad Choices’. A powerful guitar riff courtesy of Ed Clarke and a punching drum beat underneath had me immediately nodding my head soon after hitting me with beautiful harmonies from dual vocalists Chloe Josephine and Lindsey Bonnick. This introduction to ‘Flight or Flight’ is incredibly catchy and had me singing along by half way through. With a groovy instrumental, strong carrying beat by percussionist Donna Peters and Billy ‘Danger’ Denman on the bass along with powerful vocals it left me feeling very positive about the rest of the album.

Second track ‘Seventeen’ continued the feel good atmosphere, and is a favourite from the 12 for me. With an introduction that eludes to Rival Sons ‘Do Your Worst’ whilst carrying a completely independent sound, the song feels nostalgic whilst remaining incredibly relevant and empowering with lyrics like “nothing matters when you’re seventeen”. This track makes me smile and I think it will resonate with a wide audience. A highlight in this track is the epic guitar solo at two minutes in. If we didn’t before, we now know why Ed Clarke is nicknamed Ed ‘the shred’ Clarke.

The album, full of stand alone tracks, is also cohesive and runs so smoothly from song to song which, after chatting to the band recently about the creative process, makes sense. The feeling of togetherness with this solid sound mirrors how the album itself came about.  The themes running through theses tracks vary from nostalgia to fantasy and will resonate with their fan base, and by track six ‘Heavy’ we may have some tears on our hands. The emotive ballad slows things down and explores themes of mental health and anxiety with a beautiful vocal lead by Chloe Josephine. With a driving guitar line and the addition of strings this song is definitely a standout track.

Talking to the band, Chloe touched on the themes of mental health and the way that music allows people from all walks of life; men and women to get in touch with their emotions. “We make grown men cry!” – a comical statement, yes but a beautiful sentiment too, which carries through to the acoustic ‘All I Can Think About’, a song about loss and love.

“From heavy riffs to heartfelt lyrics, Fight or Flight is a testament to the power of music.”

Lead single ‘Five Years On’ is a catchy country / blues / rock song about feeling on top of the world and was written to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of the band.

Not limiting themselves to one musical genre, ‘Sink Or Swim’ sees the band veer into Prog territory with yet more strings and an anthemic chorus.

Out and out rocker ‘Blue the Voices’ gives way to the album closer ‘Stars Upon My Scars’, and what a closer it is. The blues rock number features an incredible solo from Ed Clarke and was inspired by fans they met on the road.

All in all, ‘Fight or Flight’ is a cracker of an album. Classic-sounding enough to feel familiar, but with plenty of originality and superb musicianship. It builds on their 2022 debut ‘Life’s Machine’ and will appeal to existing fans while growing their fanbase.

Brave Rival Delivers a Knockout with ‘Fight or Flight’: A Must-Listen Rock Album @ RockNews RockNewsUS

Check out more from Brave Rival here

https://braverival.com/
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