EP Review/ Alt Rock : Brian Bee Frank’s ‘Chasing the Dragon’

If you like cinematic alt rock soundscapes with grand production value and extraordinary energy, then ‘Chasing The Dragon’ by Brian Bee Frank and Syndicated Madness is the perfect EP for you. It keeps great company, unabashedly blending operatic frequencies with performative rock. It builds and mounts on power, simmering basslines and a complex riff progression. The chords are grand and flashy, full of charisma and allure. Matched with vocals that give you everything, the soundscape is more than alive. Across this five track collection, the band doesn’t hold anything back. It is an intense and deep odyssey that only gains more and more dimension. With alt rock spreading into contemplative gradients of nu metal and hard rock pounding. 

‘Hate’ opens the album. A track that sets out the head-banging, theatrical, glittering, hard rock punch. The vocals are like rockets that take off and never come back down. The quality of it and the performative style is reminiscent of Freddie Mercury. Matched only by the striking guitar solos, it is like you’re witnessing a lightning sky. Hate is a powerful emotion, dripping with beauty and so much potential. This band gets into that and celebrates it with their art. 

‘LIVING IN THE CHANGES’ follows with more of shake and shudder. The vocals are still fabulously expressive. With the instrumentals building lofty worlds and a grand altitude around it, the track is so dense and intense. While the nu metal grooves stomp and pound, the riffs and chords create a sweet burn that you want to get lost in. There are some remarkably dark and hypnotic arcs and atmospheres that transport you. 

Each track has its own character, own personality, shaping the theme in vastly different ways. There is no homogenous sonic character at all. However, the sound is cohesive, one that is united with energy and intensity. In ‘Time’, hard rock takes on a 70s sophistication. There is nothing modern about it. It is hardcore, dirty, gritty and entirely consuming. The vocals on this one will just blow your mind off. Think The Dead Daisies or Greta Van Fleet with high-energy, arena style melodic rock that forges worlds within the listener. All the tracks have the adventure and wilderness, chaos and raw power that tie back to the title of the EP. 

‘Shake it Loose’ is a fountain of dirty riffs. There’s that slight punk awakening, bluesy riffs and coarse drive that digs deep into the listener. It scratches, claws, screams and shoots straight up into a rock n roll heaven. ‘Let Me Come Home’ ends on a luminous note. It is the most melodious of all the tracks. With a feel-good rhythm, melancholic undercurrents and an appeal for love, it concludes the album with a warm tone. Exploring themes of reform, revival and redemption, it finishes off the wild and dopamine rush of the first four tracks with a more grounding and intimate, vulnerable feel. It’s a return back to yourself. Listen Now! 

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The EP is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music! 

You can listen to ‘Chasing the Dragon’ by Brian Bee Frank and Syndicated Madness here -