Captain Black Beard – Chasing Danger

Captain Black Beard
Chasing Danger
Label: Mighty Music / Target Group
Out: April 4^th, 2025
Playing time: 39:30

Captain Black Beard made their live debut in Stockholm in October 2009. Was this also the year the band was founded? The press release and website are silent on this. Whatever the case, the self-titled debut album was released two years later. And was obviously a complete success. After shows in the UK and USA, the follow-up ‘Before Plastic’ was released in 2014. Four more studio albums and one live album followed until 2022. This means that ‘Chasing Danger’, completed in 2025, is album number seven. The first album with Fredrik Vahlgren as vocalist after long-time lead singer Martin Holsner stepped back into private life. The press release has already hailed ‘Chasing Danger’ as an AOR masterpiece.

You can already hear uncompromisingly strong riffs in ‘Dreams’. There are also keyboards to be heard (who?). But these remain discreetly in the background. And Fredrik Vahlgren’s vocals are convincing all along the line. This is how Hard Rock should sound in the now and here – a song with hit potential. ‘When It’s Over’ also impresses with its beautiful melodies and a proper heaviness. Saxophone solos can also be heard. This provides a lot of variety. Just like the somewhat calmer vocal section. The guitar solo is also worth mentioning. The melody in ‘Chasing Rainbows’ is really cheesy, and that is not meant in a negative way. A little quieter than before and with great entertainment value. ‘Shine’ really kicks into full throttle again. Fine Melodic Metal. ‘AI Lover’ is in a similar vein. There are riffs every second here. In ‘Can’t You See’ the riffs bang a little harder again. The driving drums increase the tempo. In ‘Read Your Mind’, the keyboards come to the fore more often. The song is essentially mid-tempo. This is also reflected in the rhythmic drumming. ‘Piece Of Paradise’ is the album’s contemplative ballad. At first, raindrops can be heard, even as the clean guitars kick in. Perhaps a little too focussed on commercial mass compatibility. But with ‘Where Do We Go’, things pick up again. Hard, fast riffs and intense drumming drive the singer forward. The keyboards add a lot of atmosphere. Guitarist Daniel Krakowski once again shines with a solo. The riff-driven finale ‘In Your Arms’ provides a catchy ending. But without sounding trivial.

Fredrik Vahlgren has passed his baptism of fire. Captain Black Beard deliver almost forty minutes of good and varied Hard Rock/AOR. I can’t get enough of it. ‘Chasing Danger’ is a disc that you can listen to again and again. There is no weak point on the album. I already attributed hit potential to the opener. That’s not the whole truth – pretty much all the songs have this potential.

Captain Black Beard – When It’s Over: https://youtu.be/xbyVwAdDdq4?si=Nzwa67cj41rGEMZc

Lineup:

Robert Majd – Bass
Fredrik Vahlgren – Vocals
Daniel Krakowski – Guitar
Vinnie Strömberg – Drums

Track list:

• Dreams
• When It’s Over
• Chasing Rainbows
• Shine
• AI Lover
• Can’t You See
• Read Your Mind
• Piece Of Paradise
• Where Do We Go
• In Your Arms