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Four By Fate: Relentless
Four By Fate Relentless CD Album Review

Four By Fate: Relentless

(Melodic) Hard/Heavy Rock
4.0/5.0

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Amazing Record Company
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 25.05.2016

In the movie Law Abiding Citizen, the villain who kills Gerard Butler's family tells him, after getting acquitted, that "You can't fate." Perhaps that's what John Regan and Tod Howarth when they came together to form Four By Fate. After all, they've been friends since 1986 when the were touring with John Waite and Cheap Trick respectively. The band is rounded out by two others with equally accomplished resumes: drummer Rob Affuso and guitarist Patrick James Gasperini.

Four By Fate Relentless Band Photo

Four By Fate

If you take a quick trip over to their Facebook page, you'll see this description of their music: "Rock n Roll - The way it's meant to be!" That's to say that is hard and heavy rock with big guitars and a loud crashing rhythm section. Next, you throw in a slight touch of blues. Then a bunch of wicked guitar solos. Finally wrap it up in a sufficient amount of melody and groove. When I listen to Four By Fate, a songs such as Levee Breach or On My Own, I hear the Eighties, but also the deep rock of late Seventies Led Zeppelin or Bad Company. Alternatively, within Moonshine, I sometimes hear early Whitesnake, but with more grit, gusto, and heaviness and less prominent blues. Then there's These Times Are Hard For Lovers, a song that could have been done by John Waite or Bad English if the bigger balls and a tougher sound. Ultimately, what you hear is definite righteous and rowdy hard rock. In that vein, Four By Fate covers Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo, you know, that one off hit by Rick Derringer. It's got all the same groove, melody, and latent blues of the original, yet sounds harder and grittier like it was rolled through churning cement mixer with the cement still in it. Yup. Four By Fate define their description. Relentless is meat and potatoes, ribs and fries, Budweiser and Pabst, American hard and heavy rock. It's not for pussies. (Okay, there's a quasi-ballad at the end, It's Over Now, but it's still heavy.) Recommended.

Four By Fate - I Give


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The Bottom Line

Yup. Four By Fate define their description, "Rock n Roll - The way it's meant to be!". Relentless is meat and potatoes, ribs and fries, Budweiser and Pabst, American hard and heavy rock. It's not for pussies. Recommended.

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