FEAR NOT: For Your Time Has Come

There are many established bands that play on the nostalgia of their early hits and tour on them without ever writing new albums. Fans may fill stadium seats to see said band play their favorite songs, but at some point they’re going to wonder if that band still has the magic creative spark necessary to make new music together that will be just as strong, or just as relevant as what came before. So many rock bands have their turn in the sun, record an album or two and then disappear into the ether. It’s a special gift to fans when a band reforms years later and prove that not only can they rock their hits, but they still have that magic to create new music. And that is certainly the case with the band Fear Not. The band began as Love Life with a single album and then their debut as Fear Not came out in the early 90’s- scary days for metalheads as grunge was swiftly taking over MTV- and it was a popular album, but then they disappeared from the scene. 25 years later Fear Not reappeared with the ep For the Wounded Heart, and this summer their album Fields of Sorrow came out and proved that Fear Not is back and better than ever. I had the opportunity to catch the band’s hot set at Immortal Fest and after everyone headed home and rested up, I hit up Larry Worley to talk all things Fear Not. 

It was a pleasure meeting the band and seeing your performance at Immortal Fest. Does Fear Not have a favorite song to play live, and is that different from the usual audience requests? 

 Larry Worley: It was great seeing everyone there! For me personally, and I think for the other guys I would say “Don’t Want None (Come Get Some.)” That song is so fun and we always have our friends who are there to tech or help us come up and sing with us. 

What was your reaction to the festival and the lineup you were playing with? 

First, I have to say what an honor it was to be invited to play this festival! We were so pumped for this show. I was telling someone the other day that even though we were sharing the stage with these legends like Les Carlsen, Classic Petra Resurrection, Daniel Band, and Saint- to name a few, we were just as much fans as anyone else. It was an incredible experience and the camaraderie between bands was great. Everyone was there to encourage and love on one another. One of the best experiences of a show for us. 

Was Roxx Records reissuing the debut Fear Not album what initiated the reunion of the band, or had you been playing together since then? 

That was a big part of us getting back together with the help of some fans that I met here in Oklahoma, who invited the band to come down and just jam in their church youth room. Even though it had been 25 years since we had seen each other, it seemed like no time had passed. We just picked up where we left off. We had so much fun that we decided to start writing again. 

It’s been mentioned several times about the band picking Eddie Green as a singer because you didn’t feel comfortable on the lead vocals anymore, but Eddie being a hardcore guy, how did that meeting happen? 

I had met Eddie a couple years prior to this through a motorcycle ministry I belong to. He was interested in hanging around, but his band Even the Dogs were pretty active at that time, and he wasn’t able to commit to the ministry. Fast forward to us jamming in Oklahoma and deciding to write again, I reached out to Eddie because I knew I couldn’t sing like I did back in the day. I wasn’t sure at the time if he was still involved with his band, but thought I would call anyway, and to my surprise, but not God’s because his timing is perfect, he was not, so I asked him if he would be interested in fronting Fear Not and he said- Absolutely! So he came to my home studio and we recut “Love is Alright” and the guys really liked his voice so we took the next step and went into the studio of his old producer for Even the Dogs and Fight the Fade. And we hit it off and pretty much wrote the For the Wounded Heart ep in the studio and the chemistry was just like it was back in the day. Plus, Eddie cut his teeth on classic rock, so with that and his modern vibe I think we have come into our own. 

The band has clearly changed and grown since the 90’s. The pop metal trappings have been replaced by a gritty, southern fried vibe. Would you blame that on Eddie, time, or something else? 

Our sound now I think is exactly what we all bring to the table. On the debut album, I pretty much wrote everything other than drum fills and solos. So it was kind of one dimensional. But when we got back together and brought Eddie in, Chris (Sorensen) and I decided that we will write what comes naturally. Basically I would write the foundation and arrange the song, then Chris would bring his guitar parts, and Gary (Hansen) would bring his, and Rod (Romero) his parts, and Eddie would bring in the most amazing lyrics and we would work on melodies together and it just worked! 
 

The new album Fields of Sorrow just dropped this summer and appears to be a runaway train. When did you guys know you had hit on something big? 

“Struggle” was the first single and we released it pretty much right away, then when we started writing the album it seemed every song would get better and better, and we would get more excited after each song was finished. We would call each other and talk about how much God is in this project because as much adversity as we would face, the music was always effortless, and we would just be blown away every time our producer Kyle Simpson would send us a mixed version. God deserves all the glory for this. We are just his hands and feet using the talents that came from him! 

What are some of the topics you cover on Fields of Sorrow and why are they important to you? 

So, Eddie writes almost all the lyrics. I may sometimes have an idea when I am writing the song but Eddie will usually take it and turn it into something amazing. He always says he writes from a dark place- just his writing style, especially coming from a hardcore background musically. Most of these songs came from just the adversities we were dealing with during the writing of the album- the struggles of life in general that we all face. But, 2 songs in particular- “Riptide” came from an experience Eddie and his wife had while on vacation and actually getting caught in a riptide out in the ocean and at one point he shared with us that he thought that it was it for them but they somehow made it back to shore. Obviously, God was with them! And “Voluntary Madness” deals with alcoholism and although none of us has ever dealt with it personally, it hits home with us and Eddie really felt led to write about it. So glad he did because the first day of the Immortal Festival we met a couple guys at the hotel who were there for the festival who came up to us and asked if we would be playing “Voluntary Madness” and how it ministered to him and shared how they had come out of that lifestyle. God is good!! 

Love the new updated logo. Traded the flowery logo from the 90’s for a sleek, metallic looking logo and more of a biker look. I guess you come by the biker look honestly? 

Scott Waters gets all the credit for the new logo! And we absolutely love it!  

Thanks, Scott! 

None of us were real big fans of the flowery border on the original album. And yes, 3 out of the 5 of us ride Harleys and have for years and have been a part of the biker world for a long time. Just comes naturally. I belong to a motorcycle ministry called The Priesthood and have been a member for over 12 years. We have a motto that says we love to ride our motorcycles and talk about Jesus! 

What is your biggest hope for the band and its music, and what’s next for you guys? 

We pray that God continues to use us in whatever way he sees fit. We are hopeful for bigger and better things, that opportunities come and doors open so we can share the love of Jesus wherever and whenever possible. Jer. 29:11 says he has a plan for us, plans not to harm us, but for a hope and a future. And as long as we have breath in our lungs, he is not finished with us. 2022 has been a rough year but it’s also been so rewarding because of his faithfulness to us and we have stayed the course and persevered. Hopefully more shows, more shows, and more shows. We want to meet as many people as we can and continue to share the good news. And would love to continue putting out new music as long as we possibly can. 

It sounds like your hearts are in the right place. God bless you guys and best of luck with Fields of Sorrow. It’s a killer album. Great talking to you, Larry. 

It was a pleasure meeting you at the festival. I hope to see you soon. God bless! Thank you for the opportunity to share with you and Heaven’s Metal! 

You, too. Stay safe out on the road, brother. 

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