BLACK FOXXES | Black Foxxes | Album Review

 

BLACK FOXXES | Black Foxxes | Album Review

There are very few newer rock bands as overlooked as England's Black Foxxes. Additionally, there aren't as many bands that have gone through the ringer as much as this three-piece act, and that is particularly true for the lead singer, Mark Holley. Having replaced his former bandmates after the release of the monumental sophomore album "Reidi" in 2018, Holley is back at it again through his Black Foxxes project with their eponymous third studio album. It's commonplace for bands to lose their edge and fall apart when they lose band members, but on this album, Mark Holley and his new bandmates are pushing to experiment more with their alt-rock sound and expand their horizons while also retaining elements of previous albums. This was done with the intention of not alienating fans and blending all of their new and familiar tricks into one cohesive package. It's a nine-track album that runs for nearly fifty minutes in total length, and is true to how it's being advertised by the band. Holley has been open about his struggles with mental illness and his Crohn's disease diagnosis, which has given him the drive to write music and it's definitely been showcased before. About his songwriting process, "I feel like I'd be doing a disservice to myself if I didn't write the way that's the most natural. For me, that is just expressing everything that's going on internally. More often than not, it's a general feeling towards mental health of physical battles." This is a man who has gone through it all and even lost all of his hair due to his condition, and that "natural" writing style has a lot of backbone and believability behind it, which is what every good artist and musician is capable of. I've been touting the name of this band since 2018 when I first heard "Reidi" and became incredibly moved by it, so needless to say I was super excited for the next album from the band to see how they would follow something that's just as intrinsic and massive. So, let's take a look at the third studio album from the alternative rock band and see if they expanded into newer territory in a fantastic way this time around. 

A short opening track in the form of "I Am" kicks off the album and serves as an intro track before getting into two of the pre-released singles, "Badlands" and "Drug Holiday". "I Am" starts off at a very quiet and slow place before gradually elevating to a high point, and it's songs like this that Black Foxxes are exceptionally good at. Mark Holley is an utterly fantastic singer, and the vulnerability of his voice shows up in droves throughout this entire song and album. All of those characteristics can also be attributed to the next track on the album, the eight and a half minute monster of a song named "Badlands". This was a very daring song to release as a leadoff track due to its runtime, but in every way Black Foxxes attract your attention with this song. The opening riff is gritty and abrasive, which works so well to match Holley's emotive vocal performance, which escalates to him yelling "Contain me; contort me; I am the gun" later on in the song. At no point does "Badlands" get boring or uninteresting, which is hard to do for a rock song that lasts over eight minutes in length. This track encapsulates all of the animosity and depression bottled up in Mark Holley and it's on a relatable level as many people in 2020 share a similar feeling, though with obvious differences. "Badlands" is definitely one of the best songs of the year, and is followed up by the solid track "Drug Holiday". This is definitely a more melodic track with Holley quietly singing for a good majority of it, but it's just as captivating. It's also way shorter than "Badlands", but keeps the momentum of this album going forward in a perfect way. These three tracks prove that Black Foxxes aimed for a fresh take on their alt-rock sound and excelled at it in leaps and bounds. Each of them are different in speed and velocity and tone, but all are impactful and provide major satisfaction to anyone who listens to them. But, of course, these are just the first three tracks on the album, not the full length album in its entirety which packs just as much of a punch when it can. So, what lies after the first three songs on Black Foxxes' self-titled third studio album?

"My Skin Is" is the next track, and I think this is the closest this album comes to sounding like its predecessors. The chorus proves that with the beautiful clean guitar while Holley sings "I'm still crazy about you; Rip me up and spit me out; My eyes are swimming in fear". The verses have a more prominent focus on the bass, but none of these transitions are too jarring or quick to process. Everything about this song flows smoothly from beginning to end. This is easily one of my highlights on this album and Holley really sells it further with his vocal performance. "Panic" is another ballad-like song, and everything I've said about the previous tracks can be applied here as well, though I don't think this track really lives up to what preceded it. About three minutes in the song, we get some off-putting pitchshifted vocals that sound like aliens/chipmunks took over the track. Black Foxxes should have worked a bit harder on this one. "Swim", one of the pre-release singles, is up next, and it's a tranquil and ethereal sounding song with melodic singing and a quiet repeated drumline. This track falls in line with something like "Drug Holiday", where subtlety is used to make something impactful, and "Swim" definitely fits that description. "Jungle Skies" is more morose and brooding, and it was a track I initially passed off as a filler cut, but hearing the album more I was able to see that there was a lot more to this track than at first glance. It's another song where Holley's vocals dominate the song with the instrument work being a fitting backdrop. "Pacific" does have a bit of disjointed focus as the beginning starts out like something aggressive will take place, but then it drops back down to the slow and quiet with a drum loop that admittedly gets old after a while. Not as well thought out as the other songs, although the use of a horn section throughout this track is a nice touch that gives it some semblance of character. 

The final track "The Diving Bell" is another monster of a song similar to "Badlands". At well over nine minutes in length, this is Black Foxxes fully testing the unconventional and trying to break their own boundaries as a band. It's not nearly as satisfying as "Badlands", but "The Diving Bell" works phenomenally as an album closer and showcases all of the band's best elements. Melodic sections with serene clean guitar work, heavy sections that provide a massive atmosphere, memorable lyrics and melodies within the vocals. This is a definitive Black Foxxes track, and the horns and the harmonica-sounding instrument that show up about two thirds of the way into the song mesh well with what's going on. You're given so much to gravitate towards on this track, and that includes the climactic ending. Black Foxxes are definitely one of rock's most underrated new bands as they don't seem to get the same level of attention as Royal Blood or Greta Van Fleet. Even some of the newer alternative bands get more attention. Black Foxxes definitely deserve to break out outside of the United Kindom, and this new album is a list of nine reasons as to why that's the case. It's not on the level of "Reidi", which I thought was phenomenal all the way through, but it's another example of a newer band releasing something that is refreshing and stands out in a wide spectrum of mediocrity. Mark Holley and company are really in their own league when it comes to the style of music that they create, and this is another addition to their stellar discography. Overall, Black Foxxes' eponymous album is a brooding and emotion-filled nine-track journey of melodic alt-rock that can go from calm to massive at the drop of a hat. Good things are in store for this young band's career, and are waiting for anyone who's a fan of this style and wanting something new and invigorating. Let this album take you on a very engaging ride. 

RATING: 8/10