FATE – A Matter Of Attitude [Remastered]

Ok, I don’t know much about Fate. I know they were Danish – I guess the guys still hold a Danish passport or four – but I say “were” because this is a re-release. Ok, so I know their sausages are red, I know their beer is Carlsberg, I know they have a queen and a nice capital. Ok, I know Fate was, among others, Hank Sherman’s band, a band where he tried to reach some of the success Europe and Bon Jovi enjoyed back in the late 80’s. Sure thing, you would never hear a musician admit that, and it could be that Fate was simply a result of the same influences as the two bands mentioned.

Anyway, I also know that Fate still exists, with a different line-up though, so let me still consider this a band of the past – at least for this quick review. Not surprisingly, Fate played ultra-melodic Hard Rock with lots of spandex, fluffy haircuts and bare shoulders – simply all the good things that worked back then, and they still work well here and there. It’s rather hard to analyze their music and say something very in-depth about it. I always hated people who put more meaning into anything than the creators did themselves, and by trying to find a deeper meaning to Fate, that’s what you would end up doing. Bottom line is clear, though: This is catchy sing-a-long rock with cool riffs and tongue-in-cheek lyrics/vocals. It sounds ok, though the production hasn’t totally stood the test of time. It sounds pretty much “ok” more because I used to be – and still am – into music like this.

12 tracks found its way to this re-release, 2 of them being unreleased bonus tracks; “Hardcore Romance” and “Memories Of You”. Apart from that, you can enjoy old highlights – or get to know them just now, like me – as “I Won’t Stop”, “Hard As A Rock”, “Hunter”, the party-like “Do It”, and the brilliant ballad “(I Can’t Stand) Losing You”. Speaking of “Hard As A Rock” – for those of you out there who know Hank Sherman’s real name and his profession (and Web site), you may know the real meaning to the line, “I rock hard, hard as a rock”. Rock can be so many things, but it’s mainly related to shaking hips…

Awrighty then … to conclude: This CD will find its way home to those who liked the band back in the day (and still have no problems admitting they liked it), and hopefully also to the ones who never quite discovered the band at its peak. Only (bad) luck and being at the wrong place (Denmark) at the wrong (or right) time is to blame for Fate’s lack of exposure and success. Fate did all the right things. My point is that it very well could have been Fate, and not Pretty Maids, that paved their way into Danish music history as the main Melodic Hard Rock band (with all respect to the Maids, of course).