Reviewed by Paul S Ganney

This five-track EP from the re-formed and re-energised melodic/blues-rock band comes a mere 26 years since they came to rock fans' attention with their Elefante brothers produced self-titled gem. Now emerging with a new lead vocalist, (the original, Larry Worley, contributes guitar and backing vocals) Fear Not have changed their sound a bit - it's more '90s rock and the guitar tones do match that feeling: crunchy, powerful and with screaming solos. It's all incredibly solid, consistently so, and 'For The Wounded Heart' will certainly appeal to long-in-tooth fans of bands such as Whitesnake, Blue Oyster Cult and Bon Jovi. There's a mix of in-your-face rock ("Don't Want None"), power almost-ballads ("Carry Me" - this song providing the strongest faith-based lyric) and blues-based riffs ("Love Is Alright"). It's very good and probably shouldn't be judged against their former work - I just hope it's not 26 years before their next one.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.