FATHERS OF FURY - PASSIONATE [NME REVIEW]

Fathers Of Fury are Alt-rock band from Manchester, UK. They broke out in 2010 following and were quickly signed by Jake Wilson to Junction Records following their performances at a Battle Of The Bands competition, their performances received huge praise from fellow musicians including, Eric Quillington, Jason Smith and Stacey Walton. The band have now became one of the most succesfull and recognizable bands around, creating a huge fanbase in the UK and a rapidly growing fanbase in the US too. Their self title debut album did well and featured the singles, Second Hand Rock Songs and Fairground Doubts. However with their follow up, it’s a different story, as the band have matured hugely, moving from the straight up rock sound of their debut to a more all rounded and mature album, Passionate was recorded between February and May 2011 and was released on June 25, 2011. Here’s the rundown;

American Dream
The album opens with the acoustic American Dream, a song written by lead singer Jack Straw. An obvious influence on the album both lyrically and personally is the US born singer-songwriter, Jenny Hudson. As Jack sings about the girl clearly being his American Dream, the music rises briefly before softening again to create a melancholic feel as Jack sings emotionally and shows a softer side to his usual rock vocals. As the song closes you can hear the band singing together the words “American Dream”. The bands growth is evident from the very first track and track number two continues in a similar vein. 7/10

Rolling On
Rolling On follows the softness of American Dream but gradually introduces the electric guitar sound that this band really specializes in, It’s a song about continuing through tough times a theme which will no doubt resonate with the bands relatively youthful fanbase, it has quickly became an anthem at their live shows and it’s pretty clear why, it has all the makings of a stadium rock classic, with it’s emotive lyrics perfectly balanced by the bands playing which isn’t too heavy but isn’t too soft and the vocals from Jack show that he’s more than just a rock frontman. A fantastic opening to the album and Jacks maturity as a songwriter is evident already. 7.5/10

Watered Down
The band switch gears with track number three, Watered Down which shows at the band doing what they do best, it’s a much heavier guitar based track and the drumming from Freddie Johnson thunder furiously throughout. Jack shows off his vocal prowess on this track holding some huge notes which bring to mind vocalists like Robert Plant and Roger Daltry. Jack lets loose during the chorus as he begins to let out any frustration he may have had by almost shouting through it, it makes the song feel very real and it cuts to the core. Ollie King ends the song with his vocals as he sings “And This Was Watered Down.”6/10

Matilda
Track four is called Matilda, a song written about a carefree young girl who can’t help but break hearts. Written together by the whole band. Jack opens the song with his pleading vocals, “Please Matilda, Matilda Please.” quickly followed by a voice, “Just Go Away.” the music then begins to play rapidly as each member of the band begins to play their instruments as the chorus comes, they sing about Matilda’s devilish ways, called her several names, claiming she is being a ‘bitch’. The song then softens briefly before Jack sings the chorus over and over. A different kind of song from the band which shows that they have the ability to mix around with various elements of their music.7/10

Home Or Away
Another acoustic song begins, titled Home Or Away. It’s much softer and melancholic compared to the previous two tracks, more similar to what you’d expect on a singer-songwriter’s record rather than a rock bands, it’s a good track nevertheless. Jack sings with a breezy kind of softness, sort of reminiscent to someone like Ryan Ross Hernandez. The music builds and builds until it reaches the chorus which is when Jack breaks loose and unleashes some of his best vocals on the album. It’s movement from soft acoustic to stadium rock, is effortless and the growth of the band is surprising but their quality is proven on this track. 7/10

Love Drunk
Love Drunk was the second single from the album and it’s about the wreckless nature of love, the title being a metaphor of doing things you wouldn’t normally do when your in love. The song starts with Jack’s accapella “Oh Oh Oh Oh Ohhhhhhhh” vocals repeated until the music begins. A quick drumbeat and soft guitar backing sets the song up perfectly. Ollie takes over the backing vocals and Jack begins to take the lead, as he sings about some of the things he has done while intoxicated in love. The guitars increase during the chorus as Jack unleashes his vocals, with a Rockstar swagger, as the song continues the music starts to gradually soften as it closes out. 8/10

Kingdom
The next song is an instrumental track called Kingdom. It shows the bands musical abilities without seemingly going anywhere, it’s an enjoyable listen and an unexpected change from what we’ve heard on the album previously. It gives Jack Straw and Issac Thompson a chance to show off if anything, the inclusion perhaps influenced by Van Halen - Eruption without quite coming close. An interesting inclusion nevertheless. 4.5/10

Powerhouse (Feat. Stacey Walton)
Track eight comes at the perfect time, following the underwhelming Kingdom. This song is called Powerhouse featuring vocals from Stacey Walton. It was the first single from the album and was a commercial and critical success. It’s extremely guitar heavy and the drum beat is furious throughout, giving the fans what they want to hear. It’s a song about being the best, sung by Jack Straw and Stacey Walton, two of rock music’s youngest talents. Stacey and Jack face-off against each other, both hitting very powerful notes in an attempt to show off their rock credentials. They harmonise together very well during the chorus. And Jack performs an incredible bass riff. The song ends with Jack saying the words, “Powerhouse.” An interesting collaboration which worked out perfectly. 8/10

Days Of Old
Days Of Old is track nine on the album. Beginning with a piano introduction written and played by Jenny Hudson. Jack Straw sings along to the piano instrumentals from his girlfriend. The match from Jacks soft vocals and Jenny’s beautiful piano playing connect perfectly. The rest of the band begin to add to the song, with rhythm played by Isaac Thompson. Jack’s vocals rise as he belts out a huge chorus, it’s a song about reminiscing and missing something that isn’t there anymore. The match between Jenny Hudson and Jack Straw are a perfect match. 9/10

Drifting With The Breeze
The album ends with Drifting With The Breeze which is a huge rock track with massive guitar riffs and a pounding intense drum beat throughout. Jack sings with a feel of anger and regret, seemingly annoyed with something as he sings. Jacks voice is powerful as ever on the final track of the album and it leaves the listener wanting to hear much more. It’s a rock song that fans of the band have come to expect to hear and it is a perfect choice to end the album. 7.5/10

Overall Analysis

A great mix of stadium rock power and an emotional softness shows the growth of the band over a very short space of time, they have gone from a basic rock band playing to their mostly teen audience, to a mature rock band with depth and meaning, this will only enhance the bands the career and there are several paths that they could well take in the future. As a band they work together perfectly, but they’ve shown that they are open to new ideas and ideals. Jack proved his ability as a songwriter and a frontman, and his partnership with both Jenny Hudson and Stacey Walton could tempt him to work on a duet album at some stage, solo is a possibility for him but for now, I’d say stick with the band while you’ve got the momentum, they’ve quickly become a band big enough to be considered stadium rock, maybe still slightly behind the likes of Infinite, Mind and Panic, but on level par with bands like Suburban Sunrise and Reported Failure. Overall the album was a success and a very enjoyable listen, I’m tempted to give an eight for this but one disappointment was the instrumental track Kingdom which could have been so much better, however a great record which we’re sure to hear for years to come. 7.5/10