Dr. Freak & Mr. 4 – Rock n’ Roll Brotherhood CD review

With a band name like Dr. Freak & Mr. 4, its quite easy to take a well educated guess that this band are going to be a gothic/horror metal band in the same vein of bands like: Murderdolls, Wednesday 13 and The 69 Eyes, just by reading the name on the CD. This is Rock n’ Roll Brotherhood – an album jammed full of jagged guitar riffs, chant along vocal lines and groovy melodies; sounding basically like what would happen if AC/DC and Guns n’ Roses turned into a bunch of flesh eaten zombie.  So if you like your music sleazy and want some straight up rock n’ roll in your ear holes, then this is the album for you. You’re in for one hell of a ride!

Sure, the vocals may not be the most ear pleasing thing on the planet – sounding like a Dracula drinking on the blood of a drunken hobo (Nasty). But beneath the literally ear piercing shouts and gravelly singing, Dr. Freak & Mr. 4 are a high octane rollercoaster of straight up rock n’ roll fury, delivering powerful, balls out guitar riffs that hit you at 150 mph and will blow both your mind and hour ear canals the moment they kick in. Tracks like ‘Rock n’ Roll Brotherhood’, ‘Destination LA’ and ‘I’ll Never Forget’ may not have the most challenging guitar parts on them, but there is so much power and energy present in these songs thanks to the charging power chord laden guitar riffs, it’s hard not to enjoy and head bang along to them.

There is a number of slower numbers on Rock n’ Roll Brotherhood and it’s this diversity and change in style on the album that makes it as memorable and great as it is. Tracks such as the slow foot stomp of ‘Occasional Lover’, the haunting ‘Love After Death’ and the amazing ballad that is ‘Farewell to my Muse’ are all moments on this album that really stand out; adding piano, acoustic guitar and synth parts to add to the overall haunting and emotional atmosphere of the songs.

Every track on this album is a killer, and it’s always good to listen to an album where there is no filler and every track you listen to just makes you want to pump your fist, bang your head and sing along at the top of your voice. They key to making this album superb would have been to get the album produced better, with a clearer, crisper sound and replace the singer with the bogyman. That way they would be a “real” horror metal band!

Rock n’ Roll Brotherhood is an album well worth listening to, even spending a pretty penny on. As long as you ignore the singer who can’t sing for shit, air guitar like a demon to the heavier tracks and sing your heart out like a spirit on the ballads, you are going to enjoy listening to this album. [7/10]

1. Rock N Roll Brotherhood
2. Occasional Lover
3. Love After Death
4. Farewell To My Muse
5. Jumpin’ Again
6. I’ll Never Forget
7. Destination L.A.
8. Masters Of Aesthetics
9. Your Words, Your Air, Your Day