Royal Hunt - Fear (1999)

After two albums with superb vocalist DC Cooper, Royal Hunt found themselves searching for a new singer, and brought in John West, who was just finishing his time with Artension, a band that has not excited me thus far. Although not as naturally gifted as Cooper, West is still good in his own right, but it's the material here that brings the Royal Hunt standard down a bit. With just seven songs, all of at least five minutes, and starting with the brooding, moody title track, Fear has the typical, multi-layered, symphonic sound of the band, but the songs just don't grab as much as usual, making it a bit of a disappoinment. It's certainly a reasonable listen overall, but these Danes have done much better, and hopefully, they will again.

**1/2