Fightstar - Be Human Review

Posted by Matt Shoemaker on 04.21.2009

Up and coming British alt-rock/metal band Fightstar return with their fifth album in as many years, Be Human. With the addition of an orchestra, the band seems to have broadened their horizons farther than anyone thought possible. But how does the album stack up overall?

Fightstar is…
Charlie Simpson- Guitar, Vocals
Alex Westway- Guitar, backing vocals
Dan Haigh- Bass
Omar Abidi- Drums



Track Listing

1. "Calling On All Stations" 3:26
2. "The English Way" 3:33
3. "War Machine" 4:48
4. "Never Change" 3:02
5. "Colours Bleed to Red" 3:19
6. "The Whisperer" 3:59
7. "Mercury Summer" 3:07
8. "Give Me the Sky" 4:01
9. "Chemical Blood" 3:52
10. "Tonight We Burn" 3:51
11. "Damocles" 3:36
12. "Follow Me Into the Darkness" 5:44

Fightstar is a very difficult band to classify with just one genre. Their musical styles range from pure metal to alternative rock to bordering on emo at times. Throw in a dash of progressive, acoustic, and even what sounds like country pop, and you have the band’s latest album, Be Human. Oh, and did I mention there’s an orchestra? Because that’s what makes this album as much fun as it is.

Right off the bat, we’re treated to a sample of the orchestral beauty contained in the 47 minutes of Be Human. Not every song makes use of it, but the ones that do are some of the best songs on the album. “Calling On All Stations” starts off with a strings section, as Simpson’s voice slides in flawlessly over it. The guitars and drums then kick in, and before long, the song reaches full swing, building to a powerful chorus, showing off Simpson’s vocal range, before repeating the formula. “The English Way”, the first single off of the album, begins a trend that seems to hold true for most of the album. Each new song manages to hold, at least for a verse or two, a little bit of the past song in it.

“War Machine” is another fantastic song, utilizing both the orchestra and a choir for an incredibly powerful element not heard in most rock bands. “Colors Bleed To Red” is the first song on the album that really conveys a heavy metal feel, combining very heavy guitar riffs with both clean and somewhat aggressive vocals. “Mercury Summer”, the second single, is a much different style than all the prior tracks. The song goes more in the direction of synth-rock than anything else, sounding almost like a ballad.

The diversity of the album is one of its biggest strengths. Fightstar manages to effortlessly incorporate just about any musical style you can think of into Be Human, and spreads it all out well enough so that you never feel like you’re listening to the same thing twice. The band is also at the top of their game, musically. Simpson does a lot of work in this band, playing guitar, singing, and playing drums on about half the tracks on this album. He does a fine job with the drumming, but Abidi is one of the main attractions for this record. His work on “War Machine”, “The Whisperer” and “Chemical Blood” is fantastic, working in incredible combinations and fills for endless possibilities of what to expect next.

I only have one real gripe with this album, and it’s a big one. After a little more than halfway through the album, the songs begin to wear on me. Something about the last four or five songs on the album do not sit right with me, whether it’s the vocals or the song structures. For example, “Tonight We Burn” sounds so contrived, like a bad mix between between an emo band and something along the lines of Franz Ferdinand. The song goes from quiet and pining to upbeat and peppy during the chorus, and the change does not sit right with me at all. Another example of a song leaving a bad taste in my mouth would be "Damocles". The song starts with an amazing piano section, before getting into some really heavy metal. There are some fantastic riffs in this song, but for every one good thing the band does, there are two things wrong to counter it. The structure of the song seems very out of place and thrown together haphazardly, and there is a definite impression of KoRn on this track, especially during the chorus.

Fightstar’s progression as a band to this point has been incredible. They have gone from an alternative rock band to an alternative metal/alternative rock band, and now, with the addition of an orchestra and some progressive elements, the sky seems to be the limit for them.

The 411: This is a genuinely solid album, despite a weak back end. There's something on here for just about any fan of rock music, and the inclusion of the orchestra does wonders for the album.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]