Flavour Nurse may actually be from the United Kingdom, but the image they present is of self-described “misfit aliens from an alternate-universe*. Their self-titled album, four years in the making, is suitably bombastic, extravagant, strange, and mystical; an example of what they deem “Arcane Rock.” If this album were a painting, it would be a neon colored depiction of dragons and warlocks on the side of a van, and the band thrive in this image. Highly influenced by early Queen, it has tinges of prog, but they’ve really captured Freddie Mercury’s knack for fun, and the band balances it all out with a hefty serving of hard rock and grunge.
After the gothic and orchestral instrumental introduction “Dysoptian Galaxy,” the album begins properly with a fantastic burst of guitars which perfectly emulate the sound of Brian May on “Majesty” a song which sounds like Sgt. Pepper’s if it had been recorded during the early 90s. Some tracks like “Love is the Reason” and “Kickin’ Around” are more straightforwardly hard rock, but there’s an astonishing amount of experimentation here from the druggy “Side Effects” to the symphonic closer “Eleven of Fire.” It’s an ambitiously dramatic and highly theatrical album that never loses focus, and the band never forgets to have a blast in the process, making the whole thing a rollercoaster of high octane fun.
