FANZEYEVIEW
FURYON - Gravitas (reviewed by Dave Evans) http://furyon.bigcartel.com/
I had the fortune to review Brighton based band Furyon’s 3 track E.P a short while ago. The tracks included ‘Disappear Again’, ‘Don’t Follow’ and ‘Wasted On You’ convinced me that the band had a very promising future indeed. Recently the band enjoyed some major publicity with the E.P being distributed with Classic Rock magazine. The track ‘Wasted On You’ was also included on Metal Hammer’s cover mounted CD.
So armed with all this promise and media exposure I was intrigued to see how their full length debut album had turned out.
As with the EP this album has been produced by Rick Beato (Shinedown, Fozzy), and begins with the afore-mentioned ‘Disappear Again’. It’s a straight ahead ‘rocker’, and really hits the ground running. The bombast of guitars courtesy of Chris Green and Pat Heath vie for attention with Lee Farmery’s bowel rattling drums. Matt Mitchells vocals are ‘primal’ and melodic in equal measure, bringing to mind Chris Cornell and Black Stone Cherry’s Chris Robertson. Like the EP, this is a perfect album opener to showcase the bands creative talents. It perfectly sets the tone for the following track ‘Stand Like Stone’. Farmery’s ‘tribal’ drumming introduce some barbed riffing that take you back to the heady days of ‘Speed Metal’, Mitchells vocals once again manage to cover all bases, from a low end ‘growl’ to Rob Halford-esque ‘operatics’. The middle eight section adds a classy ‘eastern’ feel courtesy of Green and Heaths guitar mastery. It is immediately apparent Furyon have the confidence and depth to deliver the goods.
‘Souvenirs’ sees a slight change of pace, with its low end guitars and ‘brooding’ vocals. It brings to mind bands like Black Label Society and even Alice In Chains such is its ‘darker’ nature. The guitars are very reminiscent of Zakk Wylde, all fret-board mastery and ‘pinched harmonics’. The pace picks up with the ‘infectious’ ‘Don’t Follow’. The guitar sound seems channelled from Dimebag Darrell such is its brutal yet melodic attack. Mitchell’s vocals are immense, if you imagine Chris Cornell fronting Pantera then you come close to the monumental sound going on here.
Spine tingling acoustic guitars open the follow track ‘New Way Of Living’. This is a very ‘edgy’ track that brought to mind Alice In Chains, Mitchell’s ‘haunting’ vocals very reminiscent of the late Layne Stayley. The track is really brought to life by an ‘epic’ and ‘clean’ guitar solo that really showcases the musicianship of messers Green and Heath.
One of the albums real highlights is ‘Fear Alone’. The ‘ethereal’ and ‘dramatic’ opening really makes the hairs on your arms stand on end. The dry sounding guitars and bass lead to what is a sound akin to a modern day Led Zeppelin. Based around a riff that can only be described as the ‘bastard son’ of ‘Kashmir’. Here Furyon have really distilled their influences in a melting pot and come up with something very special indeed. There are some wonderfully subtle time changes and at times there is an almost ‘progressive’ Dream Theater feel to the piece. Vocally Mitchell brings to mind a youthful Ian Gillan at times, such is his vocal prowess. The guitars are once again high in the mix and Rick Beato must be complimented for his production, this is the sound of a band willing to push the boundaries.
As well pushing themselves to the limit, Furyon have a knack of peeling off ‘infectious licks’. A perfect example of this is ‘Wasted On You’. The guitar intro to this track stays in your head long after the album has finished. Musically it has a Soundgarden vibe to it, Mitchell managing to mix his vocals with a tinge of early 90s Chris Cornell. But slightly more modern bands like Alter Bridge are also apparent in the melting pot, such is the ‘epic’ yet ‘earthy’ feel that the band exudes. The guitars are once again nothing short of breath-taking. They manage to perfectly compliment the song, adding a modern twist, and never outstaying their welcome.
The album closes with the tracks ‘Our Peace Someday’ and ‘Desert Suicide’. The former is another ‘melancholic’ acoustic led number. It’s the closest to a ‘ballad’ Furyon have come so far. This is though a ‘brooding’ rather than ‘lighters in the air’ affair. Mitchells vocals are ‘vulnerable’ and ‘soaring’ at the same time. Once again the crystal clear production and song writing bring to mind Shinedown and Alter Bridge. Final track ‘Desert Suicide’ continues the slower paced vibe and sees the band again stretch themselves musically, Green and Heath’s guitars simply soar and are a joy to behold, once again they perfectly dove-tail with Mitchell’s vocals. For 8 minutes we the listener are taken on a journey through the arid deserts of despair, and we feel every ounce of pain and helplessness.
As debut albums go, this is right up there with the best of them. Furyon have managed to create a body of work that infuses all their influences and yet the sound is uniquely their own. Vocally Matt Mitchell can seemingly do it all; anger, passion, and soulful. He really is the ‘real deal’. Add to that the star quality of guitarists Chris Green and Matt Heath, and the ‘nailed down tight’ rhythm section of Drummer Lee Farmery and Bassist Alex Bowen - then you have a band that really are on the cusp of something big. And remember this is a band still unsigned!!!!…On the evidence of this album and their live performances…Not for long !!!!
Track Listing; Disappear Again / Stand Like Stone / Souvenirs / Don’t Follow / New Way Of Living / Voodoo Me / Fear Alone / Wasted On You / Our Peace Someday / Desert Suicide.
‘Gravitas’ is available to buy from www.myspace.com/furyon or www.furyon.bigcartel.com
So armed with all this promise and media exposure I was intrigued to see how their full length debut album had turned out.
As with the EP this album has been produced by Rick Beato (Shinedown, Fozzy), and begins with the afore-mentioned ‘Disappear Again’. It’s a straight ahead ‘rocker’, and really hits the ground running. The bombast of guitars courtesy of Chris Green and Pat Heath vie for attention with Lee Farmery’s bowel rattling drums. Matt Mitchells vocals are ‘primal’ and melodic in equal measure, bringing to mind Chris Cornell and Black Stone Cherry’s Chris Robertson. Like the EP, this is a perfect album opener to showcase the bands creative talents. It perfectly sets the tone for the following track ‘Stand Like Stone’. Farmery’s ‘tribal’ drumming introduce some barbed riffing that take you back to the heady days of ‘Speed Metal’, Mitchells vocals once again manage to cover all bases, from a low end ‘growl’ to Rob Halford-esque ‘operatics’. The middle eight section adds a classy ‘eastern’ feel courtesy of Green and Heaths guitar mastery. It is immediately apparent Furyon have the confidence and depth to deliver the goods.
‘Souvenirs’ sees a slight change of pace, with its low end guitars and ‘brooding’ vocals. It brings to mind bands like Black Label Society and even Alice In Chains such is its ‘darker’ nature. The guitars are very reminiscent of Zakk Wylde, all fret-board mastery and ‘pinched harmonics’. The pace picks up with the ‘infectious’ ‘Don’t Follow’. The guitar sound seems channelled from Dimebag Darrell such is its brutal yet melodic attack. Mitchell’s vocals are immense, if you imagine Chris Cornell fronting Pantera then you come close to the monumental sound going on here.
Spine tingling acoustic guitars open the follow track ‘New Way Of Living’. This is a very ‘edgy’ track that brought to mind Alice In Chains, Mitchell’s ‘haunting’ vocals very reminiscent of the late Layne Stayley. The track is really brought to life by an ‘epic’ and ‘clean’ guitar solo that really showcases the musicianship of messers Green and Heath.
One of the albums real highlights is ‘Fear Alone’. The ‘ethereal’ and ‘dramatic’ opening really makes the hairs on your arms stand on end. The dry sounding guitars and bass lead to what is a sound akin to a modern day Led Zeppelin. Based around a riff that can only be described as the ‘bastard son’ of ‘Kashmir’. Here Furyon have really distilled their influences in a melting pot and come up with something very special indeed. There are some wonderfully subtle time changes and at times there is an almost ‘progressive’ Dream Theater feel to the piece. Vocally Mitchell brings to mind a youthful Ian Gillan at times, such is his vocal prowess. The guitars are once again high in the mix and Rick Beato must be complimented for his production, this is the sound of a band willing to push the boundaries.
As well pushing themselves to the limit, Furyon have a knack of peeling off ‘infectious licks’. A perfect example of this is ‘Wasted On You’. The guitar intro to this track stays in your head long after the album has finished. Musically it has a Soundgarden vibe to it, Mitchell managing to mix his vocals with a tinge of early 90s Chris Cornell. But slightly more modern bands like Alter Bridge are also apparent in the melting pot, such is the ‘epic’ yet ‘earthy’ feel that the band exudes. The guitars are once again nothing short of breath-taking. They manage to perfectly compliment the song, adding a modern twist, and never outstaying their welcome.
The album closes with the tracks ‘Our Peace Someday’ and ‘Desert Suicide’. The former is another ‘melancholic’ acoustic led number. It’s the closest to a ‘ballad’ Furyon have come so far. This is though a ‘brooding’ rather than ‘lighters in the air’ affair. Mitchells vocals are ‘vulnerable’ and ‘soaring’ at the same time. Once again the crystal clear production and song writing bring to mind Shinedown and Alter Bridge. Final track ‘Desert Suicide’ continues the slower paced vibe and sees the band again stretch themselves musically, Green and Heath’s guitars simply soar and are a joy to behold, once again they perfectly dove-tail with Mitchell’s vocals. For 8 minutes we the listener are taken on a journey through the arid deserts of despair, and we feel every ounce of pain and helplessness.
As debut albums go, this is right up there with the best of them. Furyon have managed to create a body of work that infuses all their influences and yet the sound is uniquely their own. Vocally Matt Mitchell can seemingly do it all; anger, passion, and soulful. He really is the ‘real deal’. Add to that the star quality of guitarists Chris Green and Matt Heath, and the ‘nailed down tight’ rhythm section of Drummer Lee Farmery and Bassist Alex Bowen - then you have a band that really are on the cusp of something big. And remember this is a band still unsigned!!!!…On the evidence of this album and their live performances…Not for long !!!!
Track Listing; Disappear Again / Stand Like Stone / Souvenirs / Don’t Follow / New Way Of Living / Voodoo Me / Fear Alone / Wasted On You / Our Peace Someday / Desert Suicide.
‘Gravitas’ is available to buy from www.myspace.com/furyon or www.furyon.bigcartel.com
Furyon (reviewed by Dave Evans)
This three track EP is packed full of passion and testosterone, the band managing to meld Rock Radio-friendly elements with heavy riffing, all set to a bombastic backdrop of pounding drums and tooth-rattling bass guitar.
The EP starts off with ‘’Disappear Again’’, a thunderous opening giving way to strong and impressive vocals from Matt Mitchell which instantly bring to mind Shinedown's Brent Smith, the late Layne Stayley or Scott Weiland. The ‘pinched harmonics’ of the guitars are reminiscent of Zakk Wylde, and the band are certainly of the same ilk as Soundgarden, Black Label Society and Velvet Revolver. The guitar solo on this opening track could easily have been from Jake E Lee's own archive, such is its class. The mention of Smith is no coincidence as the producer of this EP is Rick Beato (who has produced Shinedown amongst others).
The second track '' Don't Follow'' showcases guitarists Chris Green and Pat Heaths brooding style - comparisons with Dimebag Darrell can be made, such is their touch and feel. Vocally Mitchell proves he can cover all areas, reaching some impressive Chris Cornell-esque high-end screams. This is continued in the final track, the highly impressive ‘’Wasted on You’’. This really does bring to mind the afore-mentioned Soundgarden, only with a more straight-ahead 'Hard Rock' feel. Mitchell's vocals on this track are immense, and in this, their most ambitious track, Furyon give the listener a real taste of what's to come when their album ‘’Gravitas‘’ is unleashed.
With the evidence presented here, the album is sure to be a real treat. So if you like your rock infectious, heavy, melodic and full of class, then Furyon are the band for you. They set out to challenge people's expectations - and indeed challenge themselves - and, with a technical master-class in musicianship and song-writing like this, they are surely destined for bigger things
The EP starts off with ‘’Disappear Again’’, a thunderous opening giving way to strong and impressive vocals from Matt Mitchell which instantly bring to mind Shinedown's Brent Smith, the late Layne Stayley or Scott Weiland. The ‘pinched harmonics’ of the guitars are reminiscent of Zakk Wylde, and the band are certainly of the same ilk as Soundgarden, Black Label Society and Velvet Revolver. The guitar solo on this opening track could easily have been from Jake E Lee's own archive, such is its class. The mention of Smith is no coincidence as the producer of this EP is Rick Beato (who has produced Shinedown amongst others).
The second track '' Don't Follow'' showcases guitarists Chris Green and Pat Heaths brooding style - comparisons with Dimebag Darrell can be made, such is their touch and feel. Vocally Mitchell proves he can cover all areas, reaching some impressive Chris Cornell-esque high-end screams. This is continued in the final track, the highly impressive ‘’Wasted on You’’. This really does bring to mind the afore-mentioned Soundgarden, only with a more straight-ahead 'Hard Rock' feel. Mitchell's vocals on this track are immense, and in this, their most ambitious track, Furyon give the listener a real taste of what's to come when their album ‘’Gravitas‘’ is unleashed.
With the evidence presented here, the album is sure to be a real treat. So if you like your rock infectious, heavy, melodic and full of class, then Furyon are the band for you. They set out to challenge people's expectations - and indeed challenge themselves - and, with a technical master-class in musicianship and song-writing like this, they are surely destined for bigger things
