Review: Fuel - 'Angels and Devils'
Posted: 05 August 2007Contributed By: Nick
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Purchase the album here through Amazon.com |
Overview: Let's take a shot little venture down memory lane, shall we? Fuel had just wrapped up touring behind 2003's 'Natural Selection' and were primed to head into the studio-well, sort of. You see former drummer Kevin Miller was dismissed from Fuel, leaving the band feeling the blow after jettisoning one of Fuel's original members, but that was only the beginning. Fuel's eccentric and signature front man Brett Scallions bolted from the group shortly thereafter, and it is still up in the air as to the exact cause of the divorce. So what do Fuel brainiacs Carl Bell and Jeff Abercrombie do now? After hearing the strength of American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry after his performing his rendition of "Hemorrhage" on national television, Bell offered him the job. Although flattered, Daughtry turned down the offer and from what I hear, he's doing ok right now. Fuel instead held auditions, and after reviewing hundreds of submissions, the band secretly settled on Toryn Green, formerly of the SoCal rock group Something to Burn. After plugging Tommy Stewart to helm the drum kit, the band huddled into the studio under the radar and came back full throttle in April with an announcement on the television program Extra about Toryn's arrival, the new album, and future touring plans. With their first single in nearly three years hitting radio stations across the country and a tour in the works, Fuel are ready to roll once again with their fourth studio album, 'Angels and Devils', a more dark and mysterious take on Fuel.
The Good: Fuel have had a knack for serving you with highly infectious modern rock, always with a certain edge, but with enough pop value to make it salable to a mass audience. Their penchant still shows throughout 'Angels and Devils', but the part of the album that envelops you after a few listens is the more haunting aura intertwined throughout the album, a new approach that has bountiful results. The album kicks off with the energetic and explosive "Gone", and listeners get their first taste of Toryn Green's smooth, gifted voice and also realize that lyrically and musically, this will be a different Fuel album from start to finish. Carl Bell explores the dark and dank quarters of his creative caves throughout 'Angels and Devils', and this album hides no emotion, from hopeful, to depressed, to angry, to enraged, to regretful. The predecessor to "Gone", entitled "Should Have Told You" is the best taste of 'Sunburn' era Fuel fans will find on the new material, and it becomes a track you will not forget, with its infectious chorus and poppy overtones. The sludgy and grinding vibe of "Forever" showcases some of Toryn's most enviable work on the record, and the lead single, the upbeat and rather stylistic "Wasted Time" is signature Fuel in top form-the riffs, the vocal patterns, the dynamics, the bright chorus. "Leave the Memories Alone" is a soft, soul-searching tune with a bit of muscle, while "Not this Time" blatantly steals the introduction from Nonpoint's "Bullet With a Name", which transcends into an extremely grungy and roaring track. "Scars in the Making" is a definite highlight of 'Angels and Devils', as the band acquiesces Alice in Chains throughout the song's tonal structure and exemplifies the strong lyrical work of Bell and company. "Hangin' Around" is a very well-written song, implementing every angle, every facet of the band's capabilities and bruising eardrums with one of Fuel's heaviest choruses to date. "Again" is a soaring track soaked in free-flowing melodies, and "Halos of the Sun" might be the best representation of 'Angels and Devils' as a whole, as its complex and mystifying build shine the light on creative, yet stern riffs and the raw and natural talent of Toryn Green's pipes. "Angels Take A Soul" is the most epic song off the album, and is a brilliant finish to 'Angels and Devils', as its atmospheric and tranquil shadow do the album more than enough justice. 'Angels and Devils' shows so much growth and experimentation from Fuel, that it makes it hard not to enjoy at least one morsel from the disc.
The Bad: Maybe it's just me, or maybe others have noticed this too. But with every single Fuel album ever released, I feel as if there are three or four songs worked specifically to be singles, while the others are just slapped on the disc to consume time and offer some kick to each record. While listening to 'Angels and Devils', one may find it rather easy to pluck the album's singles from the twelve song assortment here, and while I commend Fuel for focusing their attention to inking enough tracks to help them achieve notoriety, one can't help but feel as if some of the songs lack the "completeness" of some of the other songs off 'Angels and Devils'. Sure, each song can hold its own and does, but when certain tracks wrap up, you might be left feeling like you may have missed something, causing you to retreat back only to find it was only a songwriting flaw. Carl Bell can write some flashy slabs of modern rock, and 'Angels and Devils' proves his natural grace in doing so, but many of these songs fail to stir any commotion, lapsing into a "one listen and skipped over" pattern which leads listeners stuck on the album's handful of singles before retiring the disc once and for all.
Bottomline: I think I echo many when I say this, but it is exciting to have Fuel back with a new voice, a new direction, and a brand new album. Instead of sticking to their guns and crafting the usual predictable, paper-thin rock anthems that earn significant radio play, Fuel instead branch out and go their own route, and their creative endeavor in 'Angels and Devils' will certainly pay off for the band. There might be fewer tracks like "Hemorrhage" or "Falls on Me", but low and behold, Fuel know how to push the right buttons even as they explore and dabble in more defying territories of songwriting. 'Angels and Devils' won't win any awards based on its artistic merit, nor will Fuel and Mr. Bell, but one has to give credit to the band for stepping outside the box blindfolded in a sense, with an entirely new voice giving life to each song. Brett Scallions or not, listening to Fuel's new album 'Angels and Devils' gives you a more complete feel as to who the band really is, and will certainly not amount to any wasted time if you give the record the chance it deserves.
Rating:
8 out of 10