• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Norwalk, California's Fueled By Fire has been through quite a few personnel changes, according to their website, but one thing has remained constant; the band's desire to play old school Thrash Metal. 2013's Trapped in Perdition is the band's third full-length and is overflowing with speed, grimy riffs, speed, squealing solos and speed. The band quotes the early output of bands like Slayer, Testament and Overkill as their influences and while I can hear that to some extent, especially Slayer, I also hear a lot of late 80s Crossover, such as Suicidal Tendencies and D.R.I. in Fueled By Fire's delivery. That is, in no small part, due to Rick Rangel's vocals, which are a harsh, angry shout. Like all authentic old school Thrash, the lyrics are violent and socio-political as titles like "Defaced Mortality" and "Pharmaceutical Extermination" can attest. And there is no denying the band members' energy as that come through loud and clear on every track.

On the one hand, the songs on Trapped in Perdition are consistently solid and there is no drop off in quality from one to the next. On the other, they sound a lot like one another to the point where if you've heard one, you've heard them all. Fueled By Fire have found a successful formula but may have gone to the well a few times too often and, as a result, Trapped in Perdition may not hold your interest over its 44:31 length. Solid and well played, but ultimately colorless, old-school Thrash is what Fueled By Fire are offering, so if that suits your tastes, thrash away.