Fuel - Angels And Devils Review
Posted by Brandon Ratliff on 08.15.2007
Talk is cheap. Fuel is not. Yeah, that's an illusion to gas prices, not the band being all diva-like. Right...
Fuel – Angels And Devils
Release Date: August 7, 2007
Label: Epic Records
Produced By: Carl Bell
First Single: Wasted Time
Recommended Downloads: Wasted Time, Gone, Angels Take A Soul
Fuel is:
Vocals: Toryn Green
Guitar: Carl Bell
Bass: Jeff Abercrombie
Drums: Tommy Stewart
Tracklisting
1. Gone
2. I Should Have Told You
3. Forever
4. Wasted Time (G Mix)
5. Leave The Memories Alone
6. Mess
7. Not This Time
8. Scars In The Making
9. Hangin’ Around
10. Again
11. Halos Of The Sun
12. Angels Take A Soul
13. Wasted Time (S Mix)
Give me Fuel (pun intended, tee hee), give me fire, give me that which I desire. And if what you desire is a new album from Fuel, well then after four years of waiting, that’s what you get.
But there is a catch. Vocalist Brett Scallions is no more. Shortly after former and founding drummer Kevin Miller was fired from the band (or…I think he was fired anyways) after their Natural Selection tour in 2003, Scallions left the band as well. There have been several conflicting reports as to the exact reason for his departure, with the most common, and seemingly most accepted reason being that his voice started to give out after he broke his nose during that album cycle. I personally think that he got his majtki in a bunch and left because of the fact that guitarist Carl Bell wouldn’t allow him a larger part in the songwriting for Fuel, but that is neither here nor there.
With that being said, the band filled the drummer slot with former Godsmack/Lo-Pro skinsman Tommy Stewart (though Josh Freese and Tommy Lee both assisted in the drumming duties on this album). The vocalist position was subject to much more discretion however. After a much publicized official offer of the job being made to and subsequently declined by former American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry, the band eventually settled with former Something To Burn vocalist Toryn Green. The result, folks, is Angels And Devils.
Click the picture to buy the album.
The biggest problem I had with Fuel’s albums in the past is that there tended to be a few songs that appeared to have been written solely for the purpose of radio play in mind, and the rest of the albums would seem to be little more than filler material that didn’t do much outside of completing taking up space. In fact, this theory seems to hold weight with the best of compilation released after 2003’s Natural Selection. See, I always saw listening to a Fuel album from end to end (especially Something Like Human) kind of like experiencing a bipolar mood swing that I am very prone to have. Just like that, you can go from being mellow, to angry, to happy, to complacent all in a short timeframe. With a Fuel album, the songs would go from soft and ballad-y to hard rocking to catchy to crooning to whatever else. Granted, that isn’t to say they were the most diverse band in the world, but more so that the songs would have these really noticeable dynamic shifts back and forth out of nowhere. But take a listen to that greatest hits set. You’ll see just how different of a band they seem when you just have a collection of singles.
But I digress. There is a reason that I got into that, and that’s the point I’m getting at here. The thing that sets Angels And Devils above the band’s past material is that for the first time, this sounds like an album. None of the songs seem to be there for any reason other than that they were songs written for an album. “Wasted Time,” the first single, is the only time where it sounds like the song could have been written with radio in mind, but even with that, the track still fits in the grand scheme of things better than anything in the past. This is a testament to both the inherent quality in the songwriting on the album as well as the pacing, but both are spot on. I could go on about my way describing the bright points of the album, but there really isn’t any dead weight present here, which is something that can not be said for any other Fuel album (and most records in general). But speaking of the aforementioned single, this is a place where new vocalist Toryn Green really gets a chance to shine. He shows off his range and vocal power throughout here, and this particular track is a great example of his vocal work as a whole on Angels And Devils. Admittedly the chorus sounds a lot like older Matchbox Twenty to me, but again, I digress.
If there is one real negative to this album, it is the same as one of the album’s strong points: Toryn Green. What do you think comes here? Will I comment on the fact that he doesn’t fit with the band well? Will I say he seems inexperienced? Maybe he doesn’t sound confident in his delivery?
No, I will not make any of those remarks. Frankly, none of them are true. But there is one thing that has to be said. Toryn Green sounds a lot like Scallions on the album. Was it his intention? Maybe Bell and company chose him for this reason? Maybe it was done in the studio? Yes, that is possible. Do you really think Britney Spears sounds that good naturally? Yet again…digression will be had. But to the casual fan, Green is at worst indistinguishable from Scallions, and at best very similar. His delivery seems to be a little more suited for the slightly darker tone the album takes, but beyond that he does sound remarkably similar in the recordings. That is something you’ll have to decide about for yourself though. For most fans, this would probably actually be a good thing as it makes for a smooth stylistic transition between the two vocalists, but some of you may see it a reason to nitpick. Either way, Green holds his own and does shine quite brightly on the album, so if it doesn’t bother you, what difference does it make right?
Angels And Devils is a Fuel album. I know, duh, right? But no, this is what a Fuel album should be. The album flows nearly seamlessly from the rocking opening of “Gone” to the brief but epic ending proper (discluding the bonus track, which I will get to in a second here) “Angels Take A Soul.” Each song feels like it really fits in the position it was placed, and that is rare. Is Angels And Devils perfect? It may leave those of you that favored the heavier side of Fuel desiring a bit more, even though there are plenty of moments here that will let you bang your head a bit, should you so choose. The review at TuneLab Music mentioned that the intro to “Not This Time” sounds extremely reminiscent of Nonpoint’s “Bullet With A Name,” and I’d definitely have to agree. So there are heavier moments present on the album, but don’t come looking for any “Quarter” or “Down” like songs that step on the gas and don’t let up until the next song (which will probably make your average listener want to cry, ironic as it may seem) here, because you really won’t find them. The closest example is probably “Hangin’ Around,” but even there the verses are slower. And…digression number…*goes back and counts*…four.
The one question I shall pose for you readers is this: does anyone have the version of the album with the bonus track? According to the track listing, the album version of “Wasted Time” is the “G Mix” and the bonus version is the “S Mix”. What…is the difference? I think the latter is supposed to be semi-acoustic, but I’m not entirely certain.
Overall, as I mentioned before, this is the way a Fuel album should be done. It’s not perfect, but it is a very well written slab of hard rock presented for your listening pleasure. What makes this album different from the last ones? Maybe it was four years off. Maybe it was a new drummer and (albeit similar) vocalist? Whatever it was, it whipped Fuel into shape quite nicely, and because of that, we get to reap the benefits. Pick this one up.
Oh, and this album was release on my twenty-second birthday, August 7, 2007. Email me for my mailing address. I’ll be expecting presents. It’s not like I get paid for writing this.
The 411: Now this is how a Fuel album should sound. New vocalist Toryn Green fills Brett Scallions’ shoes perfectly, even though he does sound a bit too much like the former singer at times. The band is definitely at the top of their game right now, and show no sign of slowing down anytime soon. The tracks feel very natural and flow very well through the twelve proper songs, and the only real complaint anyone can mount besides maybe that Green does, in fact, sound a little too Brett Scallions on occasion, is that there are no outright start to finish hard and fast songs. It isn’t really a drawback more so something of preference however, and fans should eat this album up like a fat kid on a big, fresh, moist…soft…tasty…blueberry muffin. Mmm…blueberry muffins…
