Call off the search team 'cause I am still here.
Having band members who've played with Enslaved and Gorgoroth it is quite surprising to hear Audrey Horne having more in common with Filter, Alice In Chains and post-grunge rock. Hailing from Norway, the band, sound wise, have leanings towards American rock rather than Scandinavian metal. This isn't a band thing because, although the band has trouble sustaining the quality over twelve songs, 'Le Fol' is a very likable follow on from their debut album 'No Hay Banda'.
The band has been lauded with critical acclaim and award nominations within their home country and it's easy to hear why; crisp but inoffensive production, big choruses that are easy to pick up and instrumental breaks that avoid all the guitar wankery. Vocalist Toshie carries his clean, if a little whiny, vocals with confidence, suiting the mellow moments perfectly and adding harmonies to the melodic rousing choruses. Audrey Horne is far from Emo (Thank God) just in case any of you were getting worried. Think of A Perfect Circle baking a cake with Alice in Chains and you'll take a delicious combination of styles out of the oven.
Highlights on 'Le Fol' are many. The awesome 'Jaws' contains one hell of a groove and the best chorus on offer, 'Threshold' is a refreshing slant on the usual by the numbers rock song and 'Monster' is just a great track, plain and simple. But the band leave their best to last in 'So Long Euphoria'. Its mini epic characteristics smoulder and smoke class from start to finish, I don't remember grunge being this good. Perhaps it's their Norwegian upbringing that means their creative outlook isn't tainted by American radio, whatever their secret is I think they should share it with Nickelback and their plethora of clones.
Like with many hard rock releases, sustaining quality over twelve tunes is very difficult and Audrey Horne is no exception. 'In The End', 'Bright Lights' and 'Hell Hath No Fury' have little spark and deflate the pace and quality built up in the first half of the album. If you're a hard rock lover then you'll probably lap them up, if you're a metal fan spreading your wings then you may find the above tracks surplus to requirements. Personally, I think the album wouldn't have suffered if at least two of these songs were dropped.
If grunge, post grunge and hard rock is your thing then 'Le Fol' could be worth your hard earned money. It melodic, catchy and engaging without causing too much of a fuss. Where it lacks grit, it makes up for in melody. It may not hold you from start to finish but at least two thirds of this album is first class, which is worth a punt in anyone's book.