There’s something immediately recognisable about Fenrir. Certainly their brand of post-hardcore with its tinges of rock n’ roll, has become increasingly well received in recent years. Rising bands like Deaf Havana and Young Guns leading the charge, show the effectiveness of such music. But while that remains true, on ‘Live Like Royalty‘ Fenrir, manage to carve out their own sound, leaving behind a very crowded genre. Remarkably, as a taster, ‘Live Like Royalty‘ demonstrates fairly well Fenrir’s forceful personality and burgeoning sense of self. Though there be only four songs on the EP, ‘Live Like Royalty‘ clocks in at just over 17 minutes, thanks in no small part to 5-minute ballad ‘Click’.
Opening track ‘Haven’t You Heard’ is an unquestionably beautiful song. There are parts, particularly during the second verse, in which a real sense of tension is created. Though the riffs and rhythms may be a little simplistic, there is a prevailing sense that if there was more technicality, focus on Ben Slater’s sublime vocals (no pun intended) would be lost.
Follow up song ‘It’s Not Quite The End of the World (But You Can See it From Here)’, not to be confused with the Lostprophets song of a similar name, is a three-and-a-half minute instant dance causer; even sat with headphones on at a laptop it was hard not to start jumping around. The huge melodies over shouty gang vocals and fast riffs hark back to an era when Alexisonfire were crafting those kind of huge melodies and instantly recognisable hits.
‘The Puppeteer’ starts as a perfectly soaring and relaxing tune, until crushing riffs kick in and the shouting/screaming vocals dominate. ‘The Puppeteer‘ is a song a little out of the ordinary for this EP, breaking away from what you’ve come to expect while listening to ‘Live Like Royalty‘. Yet nevertheless it retains its heartfelt lyrics and the slow, clean interlude is spectacular.
As mentioned earlier, ‘Click’ stacking in at 5 minutes, is the prominent track of the EP. For the first few minutes there is little distortion, the drums are slow and thematic, while the vocals ache with melancholic earnestness. Then the real anger breaks, the screams burst through and the song builds. Epic choruses and an unashamed instrumental section heavy on trebly tremolo guitar, creates a crescendo of sound.
By the end of ‘Live Like Royalty‘ you’re grasping for more. A full length album would allow Fenrir to show off just what they can do, on a much grander scale. As it stands now, we’ll just have to listen to this EP on repeat and wait for the follow-up.
ANDY LEDDINGTON