Fueled By Fire were one of the first retro thrash bands to
put out an album, with “Spread The Fire” being released in 2006, but I never
took them all that seriously. Sure, plenty of thrash bands use ridiculous
themes, but something just didn’t click with that record. Unfortunately, this
caused me to completely overlook “Plunging Into Darkness”, which I now must
revisit, because with their new album, “Trapped In Perdition”, Fueled By Fire
deliver some intense thrash metal.
For one thing, this album sounds a lot more serious form the
get go. The most noticeable improvement from the debut is in the vocals, which,
as you might now expect, consists of a long-haired madman shouting violent and blasphemous
lyrics at us. Sometimes the singing gets a bit rougher around the edge, mainly
in the form of leaning more towards death/thrash vocals, but either style is a
major improvement for the band. The production has also marked change for the
band. It is akin to if “Spiritual Healing” were a thrash album; every
instrument sounds extremely full, loud, and heavy. The guitar crunch rivals Exodus and Metallica, and the drums are pummeling, without resorting to abusing a high-pitched snare. You can pick out what
anybody is doing at any time, and no instrument overpowers another. I feel the
same way about “Spiritual Healing”, but there is another connection to that
album. The opening riff of “Catastrophe” sounds like it was influenced by the
Death classic, “Defensive Personalities”. It has the same tight, accented notes
in the main riff, and then progresses into those bludgeoning mid-paced sections
that Death were masters of. Plenty of other songs on "Trapped In Perdition" follow the same pattern. They tend to alternative between bone-chillingly heavy sections, and more standard thrash riffs. The second single, “Forsaken Deity”, is the other
standout track of this record. Though it is definitely a lot slower than most
of the record, its heaviness and riff quality cannot be understated. In fact,
that pretty much goes for every song on “Trapped In Perdition”. There’s always
a killer riff waiting for you, and though not too many of them are completely
memorable, they’ll always keep you coming back to this record.
“Trapped In Perdition” is one of those albums where all of
the elements come together so well that it’s impossible to listen to without
thrashing around and headbanging furiously. Fueled By Fire has benefitted from
sounding more and more like a serious thrash outfit, and this album will no
doubt turn a lot of heads in the thrash community.
Highlights
"Catastrophe"
"Forsaken Deity"
Final Rating
4.2/5 or 84%.