Album per day: Day 22

Artist: Fightstar
Album: Behind the Devil's Back
Released: 2015

I'm going to see if I can talk about Fightstar without mentioning frontman/heartthrob Charlie Simpson's turbulent past in teenage trio Busted... well that went tits up didn't it?
Anyway, even while he was still playing with Busted, Simpson was flirting with the heavier side of music, as he was practicing with Fightstar in his spare time. Then came the news that nowadays would  be like comparing Zayn's departure from One Direction: Charlie Simpson had left Busted to pursue alternative musical paths. The band combine the brutality of British hardcore usually heard when trawling through Hell Is For Heroes and early Biffy Clyro, with an atmospheric, sometimes soothing rock sensation more reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails or Deftones. After three albums and a five year hiatus, they returned to the live circuit this year (check out the review I did of them at Download Festival here). And now, they have a new album out, but is it a welcome return, or are they not showing the promise they used to? We'll see.
Beginning in slickly produced guitar riffs, Sharp Tongue is a promising start. Dual vocals are shared with guitarist Alex Westaway, whilst Simpson provides his trademark scream. I'm not afraid to admit that he possesses one of my favourite voices in music at the moment; the way he can transition between death growls and the cleanest of voices is incredibly enviable. If Twitter has taught me anything recently, it's that Fightstar have a lot of "bros", including, but not limited to, Bring Me The Horizon and You Me At Six. You can definitely hear the influence from the former on Murder All Over, a track based around electronica samples and a pulsating hook. The vocals from Behind The Devil's Back calls to mind the more recent output from Biffy Clyro, combined with the technical musical performance of Deftones. The Blackest Of Birds seems like a fitting title for a track that resembles the more mature side of Slipknot, given the fact that Slipknot used to sniff jars of dead crow before their gigs to get them into the appropriate frame of mind. Melodies take flight, and... lay eggs in your ears? I tried bird puns, and I quailed... or fowled?
Overdrive's punky nature is mashed with what sounds like left behind 80's synth from a Journey record. If there's one thing Fightstar can do, it's rope people back in who may have been scared by songs like Deathcar. More Human Than Human picks this up, albeit with deeper tones, and a bass that could wobble the unwobbled. Animal starts like a pack of lions on the hunt, and then flutters between a colourful parrot and a herd of galloping gazelles. This could well be the anthem of the record. The gargantuan Titan is as massive as its title suggests, and I'm practically circle pitting around my dining room table and typing this letter by letter per rotation.
Sink With The Snakes prolongs the metallic elements of this band, with gruff vocals aplenty. The production values are exceptional, but one thing I've noticed is that Fightstar appear to be making more impressive verses than choruses, a quality seldom picked up when it comes to other acts. Culminating in the shoegazey Dive, Charlie Simpson's falsetto voice over power chords calls to mind a tormented Thom Yorke crooning over what would easily have been the heaviest Radiohead song ever released. It's not anti-climactic, but it's not an epic ending.
Bands return from hiatus because they have explored life away from their original routine, but soon come to realise that what they had was too good to step away from. Reforming can sometimes be pointless and disastrous, but in most cases, they are exciting times for fans and bands alike, with the new lease of life unleashing a breath of fresh air on the music industry. And whilst Behind The Devil's Back will hardly leave the music industry quaking in its fragile boots, it will no doubt make a loud enough noise to be noticed. It's a solid album, applying a similar formula to the one that spurned Fightstar to originally tackle the rock and metal scene ten years ago, but with an added maturity. They're currently on a UK tour, playing my hometown tomorrow, and I am even more tempted to now turn up at the door.

Rating: 8/10
Recommended tracks: Sharp Tongue, Animal, Titan