Fuel of War
American based Fuel of War recently got in touch to let us know about their music which they’ve been putting together. Always on the look out for new talent, I though it only right to give them a listen. Checking out their Reverb-Nation page, they describe their music as “A testosterone filled kick in the teeth,” with machine gun riffs, thunderous drums and plenty of Attitude, which sounds pretty good to me!
Opening with Blood Sport you realise all of a sudden that this description is pretty spot on, opening with sound effects of vocals and air raid sirens, the drums introduce the beginning of the track, launching into a funky pumping riff underpinning some powerful vocals. What’s really cool about the start of this track is how the guitars and bass seem to rove around the neck of the instruments whilst the drums power the beat, the mix you end up with is a track which you can imagine seeing live, the crowd would eat up every second of it. Layered vocals further develop the complexity of the track, developing this into a track which can be described simply as anthemic, there’s some serious power here, all of which combines together into the most almighty noise in your ears – bravo!
Manhunt continues the theme of the tracks perfectly, launching into a fast paced almost thrashy riff as it begins, all the time underpinning everything with that solid drum beat to keep things rolling. The vocals once again take on a raw edge, further developing this dirty sound they’ve got, it’s somehow well produced and professional whilst still keeping that rough edge you’d expect from a live show. More layered vocals are brought into this track which once again lift it to new levels, another triumph which after a couple of listens will have you chanting ‘Manhunt’ along with them. As the track closes and Lost Time kicks into being, everything seems to slow down a notch. Opening with softer guitars this time as it builds, the sound creates a sense of ominous wariness, you know something’s coming but you’re not sure what. Kicking in to a pinch harmonic tinged riff soon enough you know! This is another example of a funky chunky sludgy riff being used to drive the track whilst keeping those powerful drums pounding away and using the vocals to tell the story of the track. I’d say this is my personal favourite track from the selection on the bands reverb nation, purely because it’s so simple yet works so well.
Bulletproof follows on, opening with a gunshot and kicking into a solid yet melodic riff, this time bringing in a lead line over the rhythm section to further develop it and raise it to a new level. Once again the guitars seem to rove around whilst the drums keep things going, the vocals carry on their raw style and the resulting track delivers as you’d expect – this is another track I’d love to see on the live scene as I imagine the crowd will love it! Final track Demolition ends the selection from the band, opening with a engine starting sound effect as the amp feedback builds up, adding in a rolling drum beat before once again kicking into a funky Black Label Society style riff – this is chunky rock and it is so so good. Keeping things simple during the verse once again, this track holds all of the power and all of the distorted funkiness you’d expect from these guys based on everything so far, it’s a perfect ending to a damned fine selection of tracks.
I like Fuel of War, they sent me an email which simply said ‘review our stuff’…to the point and no messing about! What’s great is that their music is the same as well, there’s no faffing around here, not frills or extras which aren’t needed, this is rock music done incredibly well. If you like bands like Black Label Society and similar then you will love these guys, it’s that simple. So quit reading this, get out there and check these guys out – you won’t be disappointed.
To find out more about Fuel of War, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with Blood Sport you realise all of a sudden that this description is pretty spot on, opening with sound effects of vocals and air raid sirens, the drums introduce the beginning of the track, launching into a funky pumping riff underpinning some powerful vocals. What’s really cool about the start of this track is how the guitars and bass seem to rove around the neck of the instruments whilst the drums power the beat, the mix you end up with is a track which you can imagine seeing live, the crowd would eat up every second of it. Layered vocals further develop the complexity of the track, developing this into a track which can be described simply as anthemic, there’s some serious power here, all of which combines together into the most almighty noise in your ears – bravo!
Manhunt continues the theme of the tracks perfectly, launching into a fast paced almost thrashy riff as it begins, all the time underpinning everything with that solid drum beat to keep things rolling. The vocals once again take on a raw edge, further developing this dirty sound they’ve got, it’s somehow well produced and professional whilst still keeping that rough edge you’d expect from a live show. More layered vocals are brought into this track which once again lift it to new levels, another triumph which after a couple of listens will have you chanting ‘Manhunt’ along with them. As the track closes and Lost Time kicks into being, everything seems to slow down a notch. Opening with softer guitars this time as it builds, the sound creates a sense of ominous wariness, you know something’s coming but you’re not sure what. Kicking in to a pinch harmonic tinged riff soon enough you know! This is another example of a funky chunky sludgy riff being used to drive the track whilst keeping those powerful drums pounding away and using the vocals to tell the story of the track. I’d say this is my personal favourite track from the selection on the bands reverb nation, purely because it’s so simple yet works so well.
Bulletproof follows on, opening with a gunshot and kicking into a solid yet melodic riff, this time bringing in a lead line over the rhythm section to further develop it and raise it to a new level. Once again the guitars seem to rove around whilst the drums keep things going, the vocals carry on their raw style and the resulting track delivers as you’d expect – this is another track I’d love to see on the live scene as I imagine the crowd will love it! Final track Demolition ends the selection from the band, opening with a engine starting sound effect as the amp feedback builds up, adding in a rolling drum beat before once again kicking into a funky Black Label Society style riff – this is chunky rock and it is so so good. Keeping things simple during the verse once again, this track holds all of the power and all of the distorted funkiness you’d expect from these guys based on everything so far, it’s a perfect ending to a damned fine selection of tracks.
I like Fuel of War, they sent me an email which simply said ‘review our stuff’…to the point and no messing about! What’s great is that their music is the same as well, there’s no faffing around here, not frills or extras which aren’t needed, this is rock music done incredibly well. If you like bands like Black Label Society and similar then you will love these guys, it’s that simple. So quit reading this, get out there and check these guys out – you won’t be disappointed.
To find out more about Fuel of War, check out their Facebook page HERE.