Fury UK are a young British metal act who are bucking the trends by ignoring the fashions of the moment. Face Of Adversity borrows ideas liberally from the last thirty years of metal, but manages to retain a sound of its own.
As is to be expected of a three-piece, the overall sound is roomy, with the simple riffs and strident vocals left with plenty of space to breathe. The same ‘less is more’ aesthetic is applied to the song-writing - rather than overload each piece with unnecessary filigree, Fury UK’s material is driven by necessity rather than embellishment.
Chris Appleton’s guitar work brings to mind a fusion of Maiden-era metal and the brash attack of early thrash when in rhythm mode, while the lead lines and solos have a melodic and progressive flavour. It’s plain to hear that Appleton is quite capable of highly technical shredding, but his decision to not push the fretboard wizardry front and centre all the time is a wise one that gives the rest of the band a chance to shine.
And shine they do, though in the restrained and competent manner of a rhythm section that more than makes up for its lack of intricacy and invention by doing exactly what a rhythm section should do – keeping everything locked together, tight and solid. There’s decorative work, sure – most obviously in the rattling free-form fills that occasionally leap from the drum kit – but the priority is always on keeping the engine running smoothly.
Appleton’s vocals also hark back to the days of thrash, with social commentary and personal narratives delivered in a slightly nasal and punky style, but also veering into Dickensonian vibrato wails every once in a while. He’s far more convincing at full belt than on the quieter numbers, but that’s scarcely a rare phenomenon in rock music these days – experience and training will polish things up nicely.
And that goes for the whole band. It’s fair to say that Fury UK aren’t quite the finished article just yet, but there’s masses of promise here in what is effectively an independently released début album from a young British band. With more money to spend on studio time and production, we can expect the next release to be even stronger. In the meantime, Face Of Adversity is a strong statement of intent from a band who mean business.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: Face Of Adversity, Fury UK, metal, prog, rock
