FARCRY – High Gear [own CDrip] (2009)

After the solid FARCRY comeback album some of you asked for the band’s stupendous debut “High Gear“, for many, the band’s best. Released by Kivel Records, the album is only available on physical format, and the existing digital copies floating the web are pretty bad. This is taken from our personal CD collection.
“High Gear” delivers pure melodic hard rock with that kind of hooks that takes you back to the second half of the ’80s combining the the finest moments from Firehouse, Harem Scarem, early Bon Jovi: clean powerful vocals and a killer guitar work, all wrapped by a glossy bright production courtesy of expert Ty Sims (Talon, LaValle).

Killer tunes such as “The Same Mistake”, “Love Won’t Wait”, “Fine Line” or the mega ballad “Heaven” are just prime examples for an outstanding debut.
Every musical note seems meticulously placed and played to perfection, while every chorus is memorable and larger than life. Each member pulls their weight equally, but I’ll have to give some extra credit to guitarist Pete Fry who really shines on ”High Gear”.

One of the stand out tracks is the Jason Pawlak penned “Fine Line”, a moody song about heartbreak that slowly builds itself up before climaxing during the chorus – it really is a stunning track. There’s Tyketto influence on the melodic “Out Of Reach”, and we find another superb ballad on “Same Mistake”.
There are a few unexpected twists too, but work very well. “Have It All” for instance is heavier than the rest of the material, as is the cover of Jim Steinman‘s “Nowhere Fast”, which has an incredible bottom-end and kicks the shit out of Meat Loaf‘s version. “She’s Crazy” also mixes things up with its dreamy Enuff Z’nuff delivery.

“High Gear” takes you back to 1989, with an updated vibe and some memorable melodies & choruses.
Highly Recommended

01 – Love Won’t Wait
02 – Fine Line
03 – Have It All
04 – Heaven
05 – Nowhere Fast
06 – Out Of Reach
07 – Kick Me Down
08 – She’s Crazy
09 – The Same Mistake
10 – Talk To Me
11 – Those Were The Days

Mark Giovi – lead & backing vocals
Pete Fry – guitars & backing vocals
John Leonardis – bass & backing vocals
Chris Ryan – drums
Erik Johnson – keyboards & backing vocals

BUY IT
www.amazon.com/High-Gear-Farcry/dp/B0029KH58O