SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: HAREM SCAREM – CHASING EUPHORIA

HAREM SCAREM
CHASING EUPHORIA
FRONTIERS MUSIC SRL

Canada’s Harem Scarem has been making records since 1991 and has built up a substantial audience over the years. Chasing Euphoria is their 16th album and the first since 2020’s Chase The World. While there have been some changes, the band consists of original members Harry Hess (lead and backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Lesperance (guitars and bass), Creighton Doane (drums) and Darren Smith (lead and backing vocals). It is this lineup who have come up with Chasing Euphoria.

This album is classic sounding Harem Scarem. They are not reinventing their music but rather doing what they do best.  If anything, they have taken all they have learned over the years and incorporated it to make a pretty great album. This is pure heavy metal, and it is heavy metal played very well. Chasing Euphoria is classic heavy metal in all of its glory. There are no surprises here, it is what you expect guitar heavy, thumping metal.  But with strong melodies. Harem Scarem has always been known for creating melodic heavy metal.

The song, “Better The Devil You Know”, for example, has a very catchy chorus and great chord progressions that make the song instantly accessible. Then the band adds in some fierce guitar solos, and voilà, a new classic Harem Scarem song. Or a song like “A Falling Knife”, which again, has a hard driving melody and great vocals.

“World On Fire” is the beautiful ballad on the album, with the band taking a look at the world and the issues. Again, this is great writing musically and some impressive lyrics.  “The world is on life support, in critical condition.” Musically and lyrically, it gives the listener a little bit of a reprieve from the heavy rock. The album would have benefitted from a couple of more songs in this vein.

Chasing Euphoria is the work of a band who knows itself and knows what it does well. It also shows a band that has grown and matured over the years. They still rock, but they also write some interesting and meaningful lyrics (“Understand It All” is a good example) that are at risk of getting lost in the music. Chasing Euphoria is also an excellent album for those days that you want to get your air guitar out of the closet and play along.  It is a fun album with a few things to say. Welcome back, Harem Scarem!

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