FATE – 25 Years, The Best Of Fate 1985-2010 (2010)

During their career spanning 25 years, danish band FATE released 5 albums.

Their label has compiled a 19 track disc celebration of FATE titled “25 Years, The Best Of Fate”. The album covers all line ups of the band including 2 brand new songs introducing Fate’s third singer Dagfinn Joensen.

Especially the 3 first albums made a huge impact on me and most fans of this genre.

Playing this “Best Of” disc from start till finish shows the progression of a band and almost comes full circle since the 2 new songs are back to Fate’s starting point.

The new tracks once again welcome keyboards and pick up the thread where the original FATE line-up left.

The first two albums “Fate” (1985) and “A Matter Of Attitude” (1986) included former Mercyful Fate guitarist & drummer Hank Sherman and Bjarne Holm (Bob Lance).

The music of FATE was typical for the time era; polished Hard Rock with hooks, but still Fate had edge perfectly executed on the high class melodic rockers “Fallen Angel” and “(She Got The) Devil Inside” from the debut.

While Hank Sherman co-wrote most songs of the first, it was bassist Pete Steiner and singer Jeff Lox Limbo who where kingpins behind “A Matter Of Attitude”.

“A Matter Of Attitude” is considered a scandi-AOR classic, a top-notch stuff, plenty of keyboards, harmonies and catchy melodies.

The album was the commercial peak of FATE pushed by the hit single “Won’t Stop”. Producer Svein Dag Hauge was brought in to provide a commercial sound that would catapult an international breakthrough.

Playing this ‘Best Of’ CD I found newfound respect in singer Jeff “Lox” Limbo. His tone is great and he sounds great on all tracks.

Limbo also had charisma like David Lee Roth and was always in-your-face when the band was in the spotlight. His strong vocals are missed and it was a waste that he quit the business after the third album “Crusin’ For A Brusin'”.

Hank Sherman also left the band before the recordings, being replaced by The Mysterious Mr. Moth (aka Jacob Moth) on guitars and a full-time keyboard player Floyd Lafayette.

The album marked a slight change in direction, with a bit more of a “party metal” vibe on some of the songs.

The selected tracks from it feature my all-time favourite FATE song “Lovers” along with a “Love On The Rox” remake and “Babe You’ve Got A Friend”, all AOR gems.

After 3 albums FATE was reduced to only drummer Bjarne Holm and bassist Pete Steiner.

The band rose loud n’ proud with the amazing disc “Scratch N’ Sniff” dominated by fantastic virtuoso guitar playing from Matthias Eklundh, who only was 18 years old when the album was recorded.

FATE took on a harder and crunchier sound with new singer Per Henriksen up-front along with Eklundh’s guitars.

This line-up toured heavily in Denmark and even thought the disc is the most timeless and strongest record in Fate’s career, “Scratch N’ Sniff” went nowhere but becoming a cult Melodic Hard Rock album among collectors.

In 1993 FATE broke-up and reunited in 2006 (without Eklundh) but sadly they changed their style.

The album “V” was a huge disappointment. The only song that brings associations back to the old FATE is “Everything About You” and luckily that is the only inclusion on this “Best Of”.

In my wildest expectations I never thought that reliving FATE made such an impact on me.

This is first class commercial Melodic Hard Rock / Scandi-AOR, which has sentimental value because the first 8 years of FATE’s 25 year career is a big part of the soundtrack to my youth. It’s like reliving your old cassettes and records.

The 2 new songs sound quite promising and certainly gained an appetite on an up-coming FATE album (now in the making).

“25 Years, The Best Of Fate” is marketed ‘midprice’, so no excuse to not purchase this piece of history or replacing your vinyls with re-mastered CD versions of these hits.

Do your duty and buy this album!

RECOMMENDED

01 – Love On The Rox ’88

02 – Downtown Toy

03 – Fallen Angel

04 – (She’s Got) The Devil Inside

05 – Won’t Stop

06 – Summerlove

07 – (I Can’t Stand) Losing You

08 – Limbo a Go Go

09 – Hard As A Rock

10 – Lovers

11 – Babe, You’ve Got A Friend

12 – Knock On Wood

13 – Freedom

14 – One By One

15 – You’re The Best (Money Can Buy)

16 – Gotta Have It All

17 – Everything About You

18 – All I Wanna Do [New track 2010]

19 – Rock ‘N’ Roll Angel [New track 2010]

www.fateband.dk

IF YOU LIKE IT, BUY IT!