Fueled By Fire
Spread The Fire
7.5
As someone who has wholeheartedly invested his life in searching for the fastest, tastiest and most awe-inspiring riffs the world has to offer, I can't help but be happy as a pig in shit calling Los Angeles home. Between Merciless Death, Warbringer and Bonded By Blood, I feel kind of spoiled. Throw another band into the mix and the warning flags go up. Is Fueled By Fire overkill, or just another excellent L.A.-area band to devote a space in the CD collection to?
I was only a few minutes deep into Spread the Fire before it became clear to me that this is clearly another band worth investing some serious time in. If you still dig out Bonded by Blood or Spreading the Disease on the regular, this is for you. If you worship speed and gang vocals, this is also for you. Early Exodus and Metallica fans, this one is most definitely for you. This is NOT for "modern" thrashtards geeking out to hardcore breakdowns and diluted and overdone "tasteful licks." The formula is pretty simple and you either love it or you don't.
As young as the foursome is, they have an obvious chemistry together and the earnestness with which they play shines through most of Spread the Fire. From the playful opening to "Massive Execution" to the full-on speed metal assault of "Striking Death," this debut is true through and through, no doubt about it. Sure, there are some things that need some reworking (some of the leads are just a little too sloppy), but the most important element in any thrash record is the attitude and Fueled By Fire have it in spades. Gio Herrara's voice isn't as powerful as John Kevill's from Warbringer or as venomous as Andy Torres from Merciless Death but there's a recklessness in his tone that fits quite well with the band's sound, and the guitar tone is so sweet on this record that even if Herrara weren't a good frontman his riffs would easily make up for it.
And there you have it, folks. Yet another promising L.A. thrash/speed metal band to toss your hard-earned dollars at while the cynics argue over whether or not Spread the Fire is "true." I'll save you the spit and tell you flat out that these guys are no posers and, in my opinion at least, eclipse Merciless Death's Evil in the Night, arguably the best thing to come from this whole thrash revival thing that Municipal Waste spearheaded with their second record.
