There aren’t many music acts in our industry who manage to stay in the spotlight even without an album release in nearly half a decade. Call wins that accolade for sure.

The band’s debut album, Jilawatan (2006), brought about a revolution in the rock music scene with brainchild Xulfi’s masterpiece guitar work and production, Junaid’s power-house, rock-oriented vocals and Sultan’s rhythm guitar waves. However, with the passage of time, Call’s fans craved a fresh new album and the band reciprocated by dispensing singles at regular intervals.

Interestingly their new album, Dhoom, consists of a dozen tracks, with half of them already released one way or the other. It is also worth mentioning here that three of these tracks are on the soundtracks of renowned Bollywood films. The band delayed releasing the album due to the uncertain political situation in the country. Finally, Dhoom releases this weekend.

Call’s basic identity is their high-voltage rock tunes tinted with scorching guitar waves and Junaid’s passionate vocals. However, tracks like Laree Chotee (Ek Chalis Ki Last Local), Yeh Pal (Aasma), Dharkay Jiya ( Aloo Chaat) and Ho Jaane De are melodious pop-rock ditties. Also, all these tracks were sung by Xulfi (excluding Ho Jaane De which was a duet).

There was some confusion whether the singer and genre of the band had been changed. Junaid is quick to respond, “The feel is rock for the unreleased songs. The rock fans were slightly disappointed due to our diversification in different genres. After listening to the album, they won’t be disappointed anymore.” And of course Junaid very much remains the lead vocalist.

The album kick starts with the title track, about waking up from a dream. A pure rock ditty, the track Dhoom may well be remembered for its extreme guitar licks, especially the extended guitar-influenced outro. There should definitely be a video of this track. The album will be launched with the video of Main Aisa Hi Hoon directed by Jalal. Probably the best out of the lot, it’s full of energy and falls slightly under the punk rock genre.

Rung Do touches the softer side of the listener. It’s about hope, about hanging on when all that’s left is darkness. Kyun is the continuation of where the band left us with Shayad and Jilawatan and it goes out to all hardcore rock lovers.

The album only gets better with Abhi Dair Hai, the Sub Bhula Ke and Bichar Ke Bhi, encapsulating Junaid’s vocal talent with touchy lyrics. The wind is blown out of the sails by the power-driven Teri Haar Hum. Aasmaan’s brilliant rock tune is a tribute to the air guardians of the nation while Hum Se Hai Zamana is to uplift the morale of our cricket team. Tracks like Yeh Pal, Dharkay Jiya, Laree Chotee and Ho Jaane De showcase the band’s versatility as switching from rock to pop in a highly effective manner. A special mention should also be made here about Xulfi’s catchy vocal delivery.

Dhoom has a definite mainstream presence as Call’s rock influence is ubiquitous throughout. Xulfi deserves applause for the masterful production, lyrics and guitar work while Junaid has definitely matured as a versatile singer. Moreover, the album is laced with live violin and cello work in quite a few tracks played by Javed Saheb and Pappu. The drums are alive and kicking. Farhad Humayun, Fahd Khan and Kenny share the credits here. Not to be missed is Farhan’s brilliant bass-playing throughout the album.