Pour yourself a drink, turn the lights down low and lose yourself in this album. The musical arrangement, emotional lyrics and most importantly of all, Darren's haunting voice is just wonderful. Wharton's vocals suits this music like a beautiful marriage made in heaven.
If you like the last two previous Dare outings then this is a must. If you haven't got the previous two then may I suggest you get the Dare catalog and this at the same time! Dare's latest endeavor still has some of that Celtic flavour, but not as much. You get into each song and the hairs on your body stand on end (well they do for me anyway!!). The first listen reveals a fantastic sounding album with superb songs and vocals from heaven, but it is on repeated listens, where this album really shines. Each song just grows and grows on you. It's also an album that you can listen to in its entirety - the songs fit together perfectly. No skipping tracks required here. There are amazing covers of "Emerald" by Thin Lizzy and "The Flame" by Cheap Trick, both of which stand up well next to the originals, and also re-recordings of two tracks from "Out Of The Silence", "King Of Spades" and "Return The Heart" (bizarrely now renamed "I Will Return"). The re-recordings add more of a Celtic tinge to both songs, and the keyboards of "Out Of The Silence" are pushed to the background in favour of more guitar. Like I mentioned before, If you liked either "Belief" or "Beneath The Shinnng Water", you'll enjoy "Arc Of The Dawn".
It could be a long wait for the next Dare album, so thank goodness that this release is so strong. If you haven't heard Dare before, but like well-produced, well performed, melodic rock, then do give it a try.
It would be nice to think that Dare will get the reward that their talents deserve.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
