| CD REVIEW Fuelblooded |
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Band : Fuelblooded In the review (posted 25/03/2006) I did for this Dutch band’s debut album Inflict The Inevitable (Copro Records), I already mentioned my curiosity of how new second guitarist Danny Tunker was possibly gonna change Fuelblooded’s overall sound (because the album had been recorded before his joining), and as his turned out his would not be the only change in the band, as the band replaced their old singer by Peter Brinkman at the end of 2006! But before we get down to checking the changes the two new members brought about, let’s freshen up on the band’s curriculum somewhat, shall we? In order to promote their debut album, the band first toured the UK with fellow Dutchmen Detonation, and continued to play the most extensive gig cycle in the band’s career. Besides a truckload of local shows, the guys also played support to the likes of (in alphabetical order) Death Angel, Decapitated, Forbidden, Nile, Psycroptic, Six Feet Under, and The Haunted, ending off the cycle with two support slots for Scar Symmetry in early 2009. With the new singer in place, the band started composing new songs in 2007, while still playing the occasional gig. Recordings for the new album eventually commenced in early 2008, and finished by the end of April. The band then hired (“Nudge, nudge, wink, wink”, as Eric Idle once made his point come through in a Monty Python’s Flying Circus episode) producer Jonas Kjellgren (check Scar Symmetry, The Absence, Carnal Forge, and more) to mix the recordings, and started looking out for a label to get the album released through (not an evident thing in current day’s music business). They eventually struck a deal towards the end of 2009 with Italian based label My Kingdom Come, both parties showing themselves willing to “explore new grounds, pursue new heights”. In relation to the changes the went through due to the arrival of the new bandmembers, I can only be of a positive mind. From a brutal Thrash/ Death, the band evolved to a more melodic style, with the new guitarist adding the greatest blistering lead guitar parts, in which a portion of Shred is noticed. On top, the new singer made another positive change for the band, as in both his grunted parts as his clean vocals, he’s definitely a couple of steps up the ladder from the band’s old singer. As a whole, the band’s music is now of a completely different level. Add to that the crystal-clear mix and production the album got, and you’ve got a winner in the genre! As mentioned at the end of the band’s biography on their website fuelblooded.com, the experience of listening to Off The Face Of The Earth is a hiighly pleasurable one, and although the 9 tracks on the album dó last almost 48 ½ minutes, each session is passed before you get to recover from your initial stunned feeling…and before you know it, you’re reaching to that “play” button again! I’m not ready yet to add the album to my year-lists, but give me half a chance to give the album a couple more listening sessions, and that’s an event which may well take place. Regrettably, the band posted only the one track off the new album (alongside 4 off the debut) at myspace.com/fuelblooded, but even that lone one should be enough to persuade you of the fact that this band has gone through some very positive changes! If that is not enough for you, the band also made a video for “The End Starts Here” (look for the link in the MySpace page’s blogs), and I guess you could always check out some samples of the other songs at Amazon.com…or check out the album in the record store! No live dates posted as of yet, but I’m sure something’s already in the works! 95/100 Tony. |