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As an enormous fan of Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, this is both a very easy and very
difficult review for me. On the one hand, I will naturally have a tendency to sway in favour of
them due to enjoying their stuff, but on the other I want to make this review as unbiased as
possible. This will be my attempt at showing you my enjoyment as a fan, whilst keeping the
review as fair as possible.
Starting out, a song that the band debuted live many months ago during an excellent
performance headlining 2000 Trees, is the song ‘Honey’. Starting the record off with a nice riffy hook, the band feel to be on fairly familiar territory here, as lead guitarist Dean Richardson deftly sends out lick after lick. However, the punk rocking sound abruptly fades as lead single ‘Man of the Hour’ comes next, and the melancholic piano lead jumps in. This seems to be the song to really start the theme of the album - in a variety of interviews, Frank has mentioned that this album is an incredibly personal project, believing it to be the first time himself and Dean have truly written an album for themselves rather than the fans or the events of the world. Having mentioned the death of the rockstar before, this song fits perfectly into a discussion of that very idea, whilst a haunting piano ballad writhes underneath every lyric.
Photo: Brian Rankin
The third song on the album is called ‘Can I Take You Home’ and embraces parts of both the
previous songs. Combining the haunting feel and piano driven melody of ‘Man Of The Hour’ but bringing more of the riffs and sexiness of ‘Honey’, this already feels like an extremely cohesive album. Lyrically, there are yet more ongoing themes. The album title ‘Dark Rainbow’ feels ever present in all sorts of metaphors, phrases, and more, from the opening line “Stood in the sun, way after dark” of ‘Man of the Hour’ to “Lost in the night, just before dawn” in ‘Can I Take You Home’, there are constant references to light, darkness, and a plethora on colour too. To carry on discussing the song at hand, it is a plea to the subject of Frank’s desire, after having spent time together and whittled the hours away he would like to take them home, possibly for the last time, but that is purely hypothetical judging by the tone of the song.
Suddenly, we take a sonic left turn into country americana territory, and not a moment too soon as we’ve reached a song entitled ‘American Spirit’. Clearly overflowing with a heavy blues influence, and even allowing for the occasional touch of cowbell, this is the sound of a band enjoying their influences and still painting on their own irresistible brand of sultry guitar music.
Having fun seems to be at the centre of this song, with an upbeat feel and a chorus all about
dancing, having a good time, and that titular “American spirit”. Shifting out of country and blues, into punk laced alt rock, we’ve reached song five ‘Happier Days’. This really feels like a song of yearning, all about the desperation of craving happiness out of life after seemingly years of being beaten down - chorus lyrics “Happier days are so hard to find... and I hope, I hope, that we’ve been through the worst” are all but spelling it out. Even with the punk feel of the song, there’s still room for a solemn break midway through to let you sit and just feel the mood of the track, before breaking out into the outro.
‘Brambles’ comes next, and as the other single we’ve had available for a while now, we’ve long become accustomed to Frank’s croon over Tom Barclay’s funky, rhythmic bassline. Telling a timeworn tale of how love leaves its brambles dug deep in your skin, and asking for love, it’s all too easy to hear the pain in Frank’s voice as he changes the end of the chorus from “I want love”, as it is the whole way through, to “I need love” at the very final pass. Then comes song seven, ‘Queen of Hearts’ has taken on that melancholy feel of earlier in the album and given it a more despairing undertone. With more piano, anyone reading who is yet to hear the album may be able to tell that this is by far the furthest the band have strayed from the sound they created on ‘Blossom’ and ‘Modern Ruin’. This doesn’t change in eighth song ‘Sun Bright Golden Happening’, which dials up the love factor and expresses the power of someone’s love through the beauty of nature, particularly the sun. Yet again, the parallels to the album title are felt through so much allusion to the light of the sun, and the spaces left without words.
Reaching the final few songs shows a bit more of the sleaze factor coming into play now, as
‘Superstar’ tells about intertwining lovers before Frank asks the listener if they’ll “... let me be
your superstar”. Getting grittier again, the guitars have been turned on and turned up for this and for penultimate song and single ‘Self Love’ which is as simple a title as you could ask for. The chorus says it how it is saying “If I ever fall in love again, let me love myself”. This feels arguably the most like it could have been on a previous album, with a sound that would fit in very nicely with almost anything off of ‘End Of Suffering’. However, this all changes for the last song. The title track is comfortably longer than any of the previous tracks, by at least a minute for all bar one. Instantly, I’m struck by one of the most bombastic non-guttural vocal performances we’ve heard from Frank Carter as of yet with soaring choruses, crooning verses, and a perpetual splash of wretched emotional pain streaking through the entire song.
Telling the audience about “three little words” that come into mind in all sorts of situations, from “each goodnight kiss” to “when you look in my eyes” and when you “want me to stay”, these three little words are “all [he] know[s]”. Finishing the album with an emotive title track is exactly how they finished ‘End Of Suffering’ and this song does have a lot of the same DNA of that exact title track. Whilst we can only assume who the subject of those three little words may be, it seems well within the realms of possibility that Rose, Frank’s daughter, might well be the subject of this song too, although we won’t know without asking the man himself. As the song fades, we’re treated to a softly sung outro that almost could be a lullaby, before the very last lyric of the entire album that wraps up the entire experience - “A Dark Rainbow”.
For an album as full of color, darkness, pain, and recovery as this, the title fits as well as you
could ever hope for. In making an album that felt like it was for them, Dean and Frank have
given us an immaculate example of writing music that comes from within. Whilst not being
chockful of breakdowns, screamed gutturals, dirty riffs and mosh material, ‘Dark Rainbow’ is a captivating listen that will echo around your head long after the last note has played out.
Words: Jake Longhurst
Photo: Brian Rankin
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