A Dozen Furies - Rip The Stars Down
by James

Is it possible to take metal, hardcore and punk and infuse them with some pop sensibilities? Yes. It is possible and that is exactly what A Dozen Furies has done with Rip The Stars Down. Whether that was what they were going for, I do not know, but that is what they did and it is a breathtaking thing to grace your ears with. Bucky's vocals are beautifully entrancing throughout most of the five songs they teased us with here (we need a full length, fellas!!). I say "most" not because he has bad moments, but because on more than a few occasions, the serenity is blasted away by in your face screaming and highly mosh worthy breakdowns. A lot of bands have tried this mix of melody and violence, but none have succeeded on the level that A Dozen Furies have. The melody doesn't feel forced into the music and neither do the heavier parts. There is a focus and a drive to the songs that leaves no doubt these guys knew exactly how they wanted this stuff to sound. The first time I heard Rip The Stars Down, I thought it was good, but I wasn't creaming over them like so many other folks in the local scene have been. That may be because I didn't see them live the first time I heard them. However, successive spins of this CD have resulted in it easily being one of my favorite albums to be released on any level, this year. The music is tight without being either too simple or too technical and the vocals are beyond reproach. I also applaud them for not being sucked into the overused "clean verse, screaming chorus" that so many bands like this rely on. They structure their songs in a way that keeps them from being predictable, while still having a consistent style from one song to the next. Push Away is almost crushing in its aggressive approach while By Any Means has almost no screaming, at all. Not in the least overshadowed by the vocals is the outstanding rhythm section backing them up. The guitars are wicked, the bass thumping and the drums pummeling. This could have easily been an instumental album and would still be highly engaging. That is where that pop sensibility I mentioned comes in. The riffs (both drum and guitar) are catchy as hell and will get stuck in your head after only one or two listens. When you combine that with great lyrics that are insightful without being whiny, you get a fairly lethal combination. The result will be you walking around humming By Any Means and going "Dammit, what is this damn song that is stuck in my head??" Oh, that's right, it's A Dozen Furies.