Album Review: Janus Stark - "Face Your Biggest Fear"


Mainstays on the Britrock scene at the end of the last millennium, Janus Stark would return to the fray a couple of years ago with a solid comeback effort in Angel From The Flames (Nite Songs review here) which at least showed they were still about. However, on the evidence of Face Your Biggest Fear, there's been a bit of a quality jump in the interim.

Quite simply, this is a good quality Britrock album with some rock solid rhythms and excellent guitar work from long serving co-frontman/six stringer Giz Butt (former Midget man Richard Gombault handling vocal duties on some of the tracks as well as rhythm guitar duties). The likes of Father Time (with some very astute observational lyrics about morality) and the rolling groove of Eddie 'n' Larkin are great stuff which the likes of Massive Wagons et al would've given their right arms to have written. The high quality stays consistent throughout ranging from the melodic One More Ghost and Reassuring to the full on punk assaults of Clusterfuck and Mariana Trench. The slow building electro-rock of closer Shoot Me If I Don't Have The Right also shows another side to the band's oeuvre and is a good way to finish this one off.

I think it's safe to say that Janus Stark have definitely exceeded my expectations with this one - Face Your Biggest Fear sees them comfortably transcending my previous opinion of them as a good second division Britrock band to make a step up to challenge the big boys. For those still mourning the demise of the Wildhearts at the start of this year, this should do a good job of filling that particular musical gap in your lives.


NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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