All These Countless Nights [Deluxe Edition]

On fourth LP All These Countless Nights, English hard rock outfit Deaf Havana solidify a change that they've been inching toward since 2011's Fools and Worthless Liars. Countless Nights carries the band from post-hardcore screamers into hard rock purveyors, the final stage in their transformation into, essentially, a completely different creature than the one found on their debut. For fans, this is the same band found on Old Souls, just with more focus. The gang choruses, millennial whoops, and post-Coldplay earnestness are all here, resulting in a straightforward combination that echoes the safe yet passionate hard rock of Daughtry, Lifehouse, Ryan Star, and Shinedown. Deaf Havana excel at anthemic grandeur, shooting for the rafters on highlights such as "Like a Ghost," "Fever," and "England," which contain the best hooks and rhythms on the album. "Pretty Low" sweeps and shreds with a monstrous midsection guitar solo that is one of the few times Countless Nights actually veers toward truly rocking outside of expectations. For an album that revels in post-grunge angst, the curiously titled "Seattle" is a twangy country moment, the least "Seattle"-sounding on the record (glum references to the rain in London are the likely namesake). All These Countless Nights is an enjoyable listen for fans of radio-friendly hard rock. ~ Neil Z. Yeung