FUEL 2013 = Puppet Strings

[Devil Inside You]

everyone kept telling me carl bell was fuel but if this is what fuel is i don't want it. Brett's version of fuel had better music even if it didn't sound like fuel. This doesn't sound like fuel and the music blows.

Well, I mean Hemorrhage, Shimmer, Falls On Me and so much more came from Carl Bell. Its Brett that brought those songs to another level but the heart of Fuel is Carl. I don't think its one is Fuel or the other but both are. I always go back to Creed and express pride in how they treated the band. Had Fuel gone inactive or broke up after Brett left, or had Brett never fought for the name while having a revolving door of musicians coming in and out then a proper reunion could have happened. Fuel made me appreciate what happened with Creed.

[Devil Inside You]

As far as this, its the same issue with Angels and Devils. Carl didn't find someone who was a proper fit for the band. Its too bad Daughtry turned them down that first time. Had he jumped on board, Fuel could have very well had a second wind post Natural Selection.

[Devil Inside You]

Apparently we're getting two albums from Brett within the next year or so. He has that Melody Brothers project and then a solo record following it as soon as Melody Brothers is finished.

[cheesedip1]

—-I don’t think Stapps voice would work well for Fuel.

—-I like 2 out of the 3 new songs but I do think the songs are a bit overproduced.

[nagpo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq3TCEDdwOw

First song that's over 3 minutes.

My opinion of the new-fuel remains unchanged. What a lackluster singer.

[Devil Inside You]

Musically its definitely the best song so far. I would say this sounds the most like classic Fuel as far as the instrumentals. But yeah, this singer is dragging all of these down. I can't help but wonder how good any of these would sound with Brett, which is one thing you should never think about when it comes to new singers.

[nagpo]

The new single came out. it's kind of a love song. I can actually dig it but it's very minimalist

[joshuabeau]

Give is the best song on the record. Other than that… it’s bad. 2/10

[nagpo]

Give is the best song on the record. Other than that… it’s bad. 2/10

damn, the record is only $6.99 mp3 on amazon. Not a single song reached 4 minutes. Speaks to me like a lack of inspiration or desperate search for radio play. We've heard 5 songs out of 11. It's fair to say it's a bad record.

[George]

Give is the best song on the record. Other than that… it’s bad. 2/10

damn, the record is only $6.99 mp3 on amazon. Not a single song reached 4 minutes. Speaks to me like a lack of inspiration or desperate search for radio play. We've heard 5 songs out of 11. It's fair to say it's a bad record.

These songs sound like that to me.

[Mr. Slash]

"Desperate" is a perfect word to characterize this album. I never was a Fuel fan before, simply due to the fact that this band is pretty unknown in Germany. I listened to a couple of their old hits on Spotify and really liked them, tho. But Anomaly... I don't know. In my opinion they have a couple of cool ideas here and there but apparently they weren't too interested in finishing their songs. I would give a solid 3/10.

[nagpo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxRB0mrmBAk

Another new song and a music video. Filled with auto tune, generic music, and a lame video.

[nagpo]

wait holy crap they put their entire record up on their youtube page

[Dolo]

Just listened to that record and sure, it's cliche, generic and desperate but....... 2/10? Come on, it still destroys a lot of contemporary pop or the stuff that certain YouTubers (that pretend to be musicians) put out. If this album is bad, than so is the majority of what bands like Skillet, Halestorm, Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin are doing at the moment.

[nagpo]

Just listened to that record and sure, it's cliche, generic and desperate but....... 2/10? Come on, it still destroys a lot of contemporary pop or the stuff that certain YouTubers (that pretend to be musicians) put out. If this album is bad, than so is the majority of what bands like Skillet, Halestorm, Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin are doing at the moment.

I dont understand this. Mostly because I don't have a reference point for shinedown and BB, since i stopped listening to them a long time ago because they turned to shit a while back. Never really listened to skillet. But halestorm is way better than this record. how is this record as good as any halestorm record? just vocally it doesn't hold a candle.

[Mr. Slash]

wait holy crap they put their entire record up on their youtube page

That's pretty much standard nowadays.

[Dolo]

I'm not bothered by the singing to be honest, but I genuinely wouldn't be able to tell a difference between these bands if you took away the vocals, but even with that it would be pretty blurry. The comparison between Halestorm and Fuel isn't very fortunate though because the former has female vocals. What I focused on, was the genericness of the songwriting.

[nagpo]

So I finished the record and the songs I liked the most after the first listen are Don't Say I, 4 walls, and Heaven's Waiting 4 U. The record is the worst Fuel record to date. Puppet Strings and Angels & Devils were both better. I no longer want to hear from this band unless it's both brett and carl. It's just not worth the effort to care about this band anymore if this is the content they're going to put out. The fanbase constantly fluttering between the singers and the sound constantly changing is just too much drama for such mediocre music.

How would I rate the record? Like a 5/10 I guess. It has some catchy melodies and fun drums. But the vocals are completely awful. The auto tune distracts from the music. The music overall seems to be heading toward a more tech/machine-like sound that's very foreign from the original fuel sound. No guitar solo stood out to me. I was never rocking out to any of the songs. Just kind of waiting for the next one to come. Lyrics are serviceable but nothing special. A forgettable record in all respects.

I'm not bothered by the singing to be honest, but I genuinely wouldn't be able to tell a difference between these bands if you took away the vocals, but even with that it would be pretty blurry. The comparison between Halestorm and Fuel isn't very fortunate though because the former has female vocals. What I focused on, was the genericness of the songwriting.

I gotta disagree. Halestorm's music is not generic in my opinion. But even if it is, I would say that it's not as generic or uninspired as this. But to your broader point, I think there could be a complaint made about modern rock as a whole. It's largely boring and generic because there is no inspiration or life in the genre. There is no movement like 'grunge' or something. The youth has moved to rap/hiphop. It's not even a racial thing anymore.

[Dolo]

I gotta disagree. Halestorm's music is not generic in my opinion. But even if it is, I would say that it's not as generic or uninspired as this. But to your broader point, I think there could be a complaint made about modern rock as a whole. It's largely boring and generic because there is no inspiration or life in the genre. There is no movement like 'grunge' or something. The youth has moved to rap/hiphop. It's not even a racial thing anymore.

I haven't listened to a lot of Halestorm, because the singles might have put me off. I think there is too much superior stuff out there to waste it on those kinds of bands, but I do agree that the genre seems to be lost. The last big movement in rock was supposedly nu metal which was like....... 22 years ago? Djent happened along the way, but it got stuck up its own ass too early on, with everybody trying to be overly rhythmical, slapping on the lowest string of their 7 or 8 string guitars.
Lately, you had bands like Polyphia, fusing some math rock and EDM, trying to make it attractive to the youth, but that is also not shaking a lot of ground to be fair.

[Mr. Slash]

Just listened to that record and sure, it's cliche, generic and desperate but....... 2/10? Come on, it still destroys a lot of contemporary pop or the stuff that certain YouTubers (that pretend to be musicians) put out. If this album is bad, than so is the majority of what bands like Skillet, Halestorm, Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin are doing at the moment.

Which Youtubers do you mean?