When I first listened to this EP in 2018, planning for Rock On! to be a segment for my school's radio, I didn't think too highly of it. Understandably, this was disappointing for me, as this was a Skillet side project. 11 months on, my opinions have since changed. Still Breathing EP is the debut EP by metal band Fight The Fury. Fight The Fury was conceived with the hopes of satisfying Skillet fans who prefer their earlier, more heavier music.
In the prototype radio show I tried to bring into fruition, there was a separate version of Rock On!, entitled Rock On! For Just a Little Bit. This was to be used for shorter pieces of music, like singles and EPs, but was not needed when I formed this blog. Nevertheless, let's get into the music. Still Breathing contains 5 tracks, lasting just over 20 minutes, making it a nice, quick listen. And as there are less songs, I feel like I can go into a bit more detail.
Let's start with "My Demons". The opening track to the EP is honestly, a really good start. It's punchy; the drums have a great attacking feel, which works perfectly with the rest of the instruments. The vocals are exceptionally well performed, and carry with them a lot of emotion. Despite all the praise I am giving it, it is not my favourite track on the EP. I like it a lot, but it's not as good as "I Cannot", which is my favourite song on the EP.
"Dominate Me" is the second track, and the most overtly Christian track. It's a whole lot heavier than the previous track, in terms of guitars and drums. The guitars also have a scratchy feel, which does work well with the other components. As an atheist, the lyrics seem completely wrong and weird, but from a religious view, they don't. They describe a person wanting to be an example of God, or something like that. Overall, this track is great. The fast paced vocals, along with the heavy backing track, hype you up and make you feel ready to tackle pretty much anything.
After that comes "Still Burning". Now, this track is a whole lot better than "My Demons" and even more so than "Dominate Me". The more toned down vocals is such a relief for me, and makes this track a whole tonne better. The drums are some of the most powerful I've ever heard, and paired with the guitars, it becomes incredible to listen to. This is one of my favourites on the EP, that's for sure.
"I Cannot" is the fourth track on the album, and is my favourite out of the 5 on the EP. I think it's the vocals which make me like this song a whole lot. They're emotional; they're powerful; they make you want to sing along at full volume, and I love songs like that. The backing track is also brilliant, but the vocals play a vital role in the success of the song for me. I love this song. I love it a whole lot more than the next track.
"Lose Hold of It All" is the final track of the EP, and it is, in my opinion, the worst out of the 5. I do like it a lot more than I did 11 months ago, but it's still not as good as the other tracks featured. The vocals make or break something for me, and the vocals on this particular song feel forced kind of. They feel a lot less forced than I thought before, but still forced nonetheless. The backing track is the best part of this song. It just works really well. As I said in my plan for this song 11 months ago, "I feel like this is an OK ending to the EP." and it's true. It's OK.
Thanks for sticking through this. For the conclusion, Still Breathing EP is a great beginning for Christian metal band Fight The Fury. It definitely feels a lot different to Skillet's material, but I guess that's why this band was conceived. The guitars and drums were pretty good throughout and the vocals were packed with emotion. Overall, a brilliant EP with only a few flaws.
Favourite Tracks: "My Demons", "Still Burning", "I Cannot"
Rating: 8 / 10
No comments:
Post a Comment