Moving on after the demise of a legendary band potentially poses a difficult dilemma for musicians. Many try to stick as closely to the formula of the band that made them popular, never allowing them to step out of the shadow of the band in question. Robert Plant somehow managed to avoid that entirely by not letting himself be limited in his musical curiosity. And so, he released surprisingly good new wave-inspired albums, expertly crafted folk albums and interesting excursions into world music. ‘Fate of Nations’ brings all of his influences together into one lush, but never overly bombastic package.

After giving bands that were trying to translate the Led Zeppelin sound to the early nineties a run for their money on ‘Manic Nirvana’, ‘Fate of Nations’ is a far more subtle affair that doesn’t fully reveal its secrets until a couple of spins in. It is most definitely a rock album, but the folk influences are prominent and world music elements occasionally sneak into the mix as well. The big drum sound betrays that ‘Fate of Nations’ is an album from the early nineties, but at the same time, the album has a timeless quality and doesn’t really belong to a particular era of rock music.

Compared to the bravado of ‘Manic Nirvana’, ‘Fate of Nations’ is fairly low-key. There are big riffs – in fact, Kevin Scott MacMichael’s guitars are all over the album – but they are never the focal points of the songs. Instead of having sprung to life through spontaneous jams, nearly all songs on ‘Fate of Nations’ sound like they were carefully crafted and arranged. There is no other way to explain how expertly the electric and acoustic guitars are layered. Even Plant’s vocal performances are reasonably controlled and tightly written by his standards, though some of the longer songs have semi-extended finales during which he can ad-lib his heart out.

While ‘Fate of Nations’ is a great listen for over an hour, its finale is just incredible. ‘The Greatest Gift’ is a dark, brooding track with goosebumps-inducing climaxes and a fantastically subtle string arrangement. It doesn’t really sound like anything Plant did before or since in the best way possible. The earthy low-key funk rock riffs and quasi-psychedelic electric pianos of the following ‘Great Spirit’ are highly atmospheric, after which ‘Network News’ is built upon downright awesome grooves. Those are hardly the only highlights on ‘Fate of Nations’, however. Opening track ‘Calling to You’ has a vague Zep meets Arabic melodies feel, the beautiful ‘Colours of a Shade’ is the best acoustic-based songs and ‘Promised Land’ is nice and bluesy.

Robert Plant’s solo career might just be the most interesting of any former member of a massive band. Not everything is entirely my taste, but it’s all done with an enthusiasm and a love for their respective styles that just shows Plant only does things when he wants to do them. ‘Fate of Nations’ may lack the immediacy of its predecessor, but its replay value is incredible. It is the type of album on which you discover something new every time you play it. Definitely worth hearing if you are into any type of folk and rock from between the sixties and the nineties.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Greatest Gift’, ‘Calling to You’, ‘Colours of a Shade’