When Julian Jenkins from the band Fury made a Facebook post asking for people to review the band’s new album, we, at The Metal Asylum, jumped at the chance. I had first seen Fury, a newly-five piece heavy metal band from the West Midlands in the UK, on The New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival in August 2013, and they totally blew me away, even back then.
With three earlier studio albums and an EP, the band are back with their new album “Born To Sin”, released on 18th March 2022. Written during multiple lockdowns and cancelled tours since Spring 2020, the band have turned to darker and more introspective themes and their new demonic-themed album has a louder, harder and faster edge to it.
Says vocalist Julian Jenkins: “Born To Sin has everything you’d expect from a Fury album, from fast energetic rockers perfect for working your neck muscles, to our now traditional (one per album) ballad. And, of course, the album is awash with wailing lead guitar, bass and drum solos, big catchy vocal hooks and an absolute choral feast of backing vocals.”
The band also have a broader soundscape, with layered vocal harmonies now an integral part of the production. There is much more from backing vocalist Nyah Ifill, who guested on ‘Upon The Lonesome Tide’ and ‘Road Warrior’ on the band’s previous album “The Grand Prize”, as she takes over lead vocals on a number of songs, the mix of male and female vocals always being a good thing in my opinion. And just to add, I said “newly five piece” at the beginning of my review as the band announced on 8th May 2022 that Nyah would now be joining the band on a full time basis, so congratulations to her!
The band released the first single from the album ‘Hell Of A Night’ on 15/10/2022, just in time for Halloween, featuring on The Metal Asylum’s Halloween Special, with a further three singles being released to date; ‘If You Get To Hell First’ on 04/02/2022, ‘Nowhere To Be Seen’ on 25/02/2022 and ‘Born To Sin’ on 11/03/2022 respectively.
The album kicks off with “If You Get To Hell First”, a track laden with catchy riffs, awesome guitar solos, energetic drums and bundles of oomph! A great opening track that certainly sets the tone for the rest of the album, and even the obligatory ballad is just an awesome track that compliments the rest of the album perfectly.
Fury never fail to impress, their passion for the music clearly evident, which means they can deliver a bucket load of power, reminiscent of metal bands gone by, but with enough talent to actually put their own mark on it. This is a band that is firmly fixed in the New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal and they rightly deserve their place in the genre!
Produced by Pete Newdeck (Eden’s Curse) this album is traditional heavy metal mixed with rock grooves and will have you dancing around your living room with your air guitar! I played this in my car for three weeks straight and not once did I get bored of it, each time making me bop around even more than the last, never good when you are actually meant to be driving a car!
This is a fantastic album, one that everyone should listen to. The band went down a storm at Download 2022, which just goes to show the calibre of the band and how highly they are regarded. I’ve missed them at a few gigs recently for one reason or another but Fury are definitely a band I WILL get to see live at some point in the near future.
I don’t give marks out of ten for reviews but if I did, this would definitely be a 10/10!!
I am waiting with baited breath now for the next album (jumping the gun a bit I know) but I am looking forward to what they can come up with next!!
Track Listing
1. If You Get To Hell First
2. Nowhere To Be Seen
3. Next In Line
4. Hell Of A Night
5. Who Are You
6. Sunrise
7. It’s Rock N Roll
8. Shadows And Dust
9. Embrace The Demons
10. Born To Sin
Line Up
Julian Jenkins – guitar, vocals
Becky Baldwin – bass, backing vocals
Tom Fenn – drums
Jake Elwell – lead guitar
Nyah Ifill – backing vocals
(Jade Maris – backing vocals – Hell Of A Night)
(Robin Fox – piano, organ – Shadows And Dust)
(Matt Jones – lead guitar – Born To Sin)
This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum