ALBUM REVIEW: For The Wilder Minds – Greybeards

Since the release of their debut record Longing To Fly was released back in 2015, GREYBEARDS have been back in the studio and are set to release their long awaited second album, For The Wilder Minds.

The new record kicks off with Fast Asleep, which you certainly won’t be throughout. There’s a lot of emphasis on the guitar in this particular track, which sets the tempo for the duration of the song, which is fairly gentle. Frontman Olle Westlund delivers on the vocals, both in terms of power and sound for the softer sections of the lyrics, and the whole track really is a hard rock anthem – the band coming closest in terms of a similar sound being FOO FIGHTERS.

Fast Asleep sets the overall sound throughout the record, but there a few tracks which are the real highlights of the album. One in particular that stands out is Free, which is a tad faster than the other tracks on the record. While Fast Asleep had a lot of emphasis on the guitars, the focus in Free is more around the drums and percussion, which really get you headbanging. It’s a track you can imagine being a huge hit live, especially if it’s played in the middle of the setlist, due to the amount of energy there is right the way through, and has a feel of RISE AGAINST in the way it’s put together and delivered.

Another track that stands out, mainly as it’s the only on the album which has a different sound, is Peace Of Mind, which is relatively slower compared to the other songs, and has more of a ballad sound rather than hard rock. The pace picks up towards the end, but it is much softer than anything else on the record in all departments, and Olle delivers again on the vocals as he adapts to the sound change.

For the majority of the new record though, GREYBEARDS have kept the recipe the same from start to finish, and quite simply it is fast, loud hard rock. On the whole it’s a good album; the band have clearly been working hard on the second record with it being three years since their debut, and they’ve really nailed the sound so it is quite distinctly hard rock. There’s plenty of energy in the songs all the way through which really shows when you listen to it, and each track is very enjoyable to listen to.

The only downfall with the record is there is nothing too distinct about it which defines who the band are – it is definitely a hard rock album, but because of the amount of bands that fall under that category and sound so similar, this record could easily slip through the cracks.

For The Wilder Minds definitely has got potential, and if GREYBEARDS continue in the same fashion then they could become very popular in the current rock and metal scene, and from this album alone they certainly sound like an entertaining band to see live.

Rating: 7/10

For The Wilder Minds is out now via Attitude Recordings.

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