Freakshow | So Shall It Be

by Dan Skiba
— Guest Columnist —

Freakshow is a supergroup headed up by Ronnie Borchert (aka Markus Allen Christopher), the leader of an outstanding Hard Rock band called M!SS CRAZY.  Freakshow originally started out with Borchert, Jeff LaBar (Cinderella guitarist), Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot drummer), and Tony Franklin (bassist from The Firm and many others) and released their self-titled debut the better part of a decade ago.  Their debut, although receiving a collective positive critical reception, never got the traction it deserved, and Freakshow as a supergroup got tucked away in Hard Rock limbo, especially after the death of Frankie Banali.

But lo and behold, 2023 brings the resurrection of Freakshow with a whole new supergroup line-up accompanying Borchert.  Namely, Quiet Riot guitarist Carlos Cavazo, Metal Church drummer Stet Howland, and Badlands bassist Greg Chaisson.  On the surface, there seems to be all of the right ingredients necessary to make a significant stamp on the Hard Rock community … more specifically unique talent, proven experience, and ample time to regroup (pun intended).

Cutting to the chase, Borchert and his Freakshow cohorts have released their sophomore effort entitled So Shall It Be.  Quite frankly, despite a warm garage band sound, the album comes up short of what you’d expect from such amazing and veteran talent.  On the positive side, there are some solid vocal harmonies and notable guitar work (check out “You Shine” and the instrumental “Full On Shred”), but there are really no powerhouse riffs or sing-along choruses to get you hooked in or energize you.  Disappointingly, what you get is a lot of so-so end products that aren’t mixed particularly well and offer little to the listener to warrant coming back after the first spin.

Perhaps if Freakshow’s current roster remains intact and they have more of an opportunity to “gel” together, then they’ll rightly make that deep footprint on the Hard Rock community you’d expect to hear.  But unfortunately, that’s not happening with the So Shall It Be release.

Genre:  Hard Rock, Garage Band Rock

Release Date:  October 27, 2023

Label:  Eonian Records

Track Listing:

1. Get It Ready
2. Wendi
3. You Shine
4. So Shall It Be
5. M.S.M.
6. Tell Me You Love Me
7. Full On Shred
8. It Hurts Me
9. Ice Cold Hands
10. Lovin’ You, Lovin’ Me

Roster:
Ronnie Borchert – Vocals and Guitar
Carlos Cavazo – Guitar
Greg Chaisson – Bass
Stet Howland – Drums

Website:  https://www.eonianrecords.com

Hardrock Haven rating: (5 / 10)