Follow“Calm Before The Storm 2” is Dare’s seventh studio album. The original version
of this album was released ten years ago, just in Europe, but Darren Wharton has here completely re-recorded the songs. More than that, he has altered the order of play and included two new songs in this version, the previously unreleased “precious” and “Cold Wind Will Blow”.
Darren Wharton, Dare’s singer songwriter, also famous for his work as a member of rock legends Thin Lizzy, has made a great job of this release, managing to improve on what was already a great album to begin with. The production work on “Calm Before The Storm 2” is very slick, each note crystal clear to the listener. Darren Wharton’s vocals on this album are brilliant, there is some fantastic guitar work courtesy of Richie Dews. Darren Wharton not only sings here, but also plays keyboards (well why not, he did it for Thin Lizzy?) and does so very well.
As for the songwriting, Darren Wharton does the lions share of the work, writing the music and lyrics for all the songs, with help on a few songs from guitarists Richard Dews and Vinny Burns (known for his work with fellow British melodic rockers Ten). The songs on offer here sound modern, are very melodic, have a celtic feel to them and are very anthemic. Its the perfect fit for Darren’s Wharton’s voice.
My personal favourites here are “Crown Of Thorns”, “Walk On The Water”, “Ashes”, “Calm Before The Storm”, “Cold Wind Will Blow”, and “Someday”.
Verdict: 9/10. I really think if you like the original, you will love this version. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys good melodic rock.