Ελληνικά
Genre: Heavy Stoner
Country: Greece
Label: Self-released
Year: 2015
Fuel Eater is yet another band from the city of Patras – I don’t know what’s going on down there, but when a non-capital city hosts bands such as Vermingod, Fuel Eater, Ab-sense, Void Droid, Clamor of Existence, Masquera Di Ferro and others, well, that is something! The band was formed in 2012 and, after some internal changes, in 2014 they formed their current line-up, with which they recorded their demo. Without any procrastination the band moved forward releasing this October its first full-length record.
The main ace up the band’s sleeve is the vocals by Gordon Kansas, who is full of passion on his vocal duties. His voice, though it seems a bit rough from time to time, has its way of impressing, especially with the variety of styles it implements in Fuel Eater’s songs. He manages to be full of harshness whenever it’s necessary and lyrical and sensitive in other parts, somewhat using the Hetfield recipe for covering up whatever weaknesses there might be. Besides that, however, we must also give credit to the distinctive ease with which the band produces catchy and mind-blowing riffs, as well as the substantive, beautiful solos. In short, the plethora of heavy hints, the vocal plurality, the uptempo rhythms and the feelgood vibe, characterizes Fuel Eater’s sound.
The band does not hesitate to make lengthy songs with fluctuating tension. A bold move, which may be wearing at some points, still it demonstrates the band’s will to stray from the genre’s common structure. What I found really underwhelming in this release, though I suspect that I’m a minority on this, was the sound. To clarify this … their sound is nice and clear, to the point that it feels out of place. It’s like heading to a catering truck after a four hour live show to eat junk food and instead being served fat-free chicken with vinaigrette sauce. A bit more dirt and distortion on the guitars and bass would suit perfectly the badass vocals. Perhaps that is another reason why the band, as I have heard-I haven’t been able to see them play live till this day, kicks ass at its live acts. Maybe this badass vibe, which Fuel Eater’s music has, can fructify excellent on stage.
To sum up, we have spoken more than once about the potential that this genre has in Greece. With releases such as Fuel Eater’s “Centralia” the future of the scene seems bright. A solid debut by a band that seems very promising! Check out and support!
4,5/6
