This fiery, punkish post-hardcore band from Toledo, OH likened itself to a mix of T. Rex and
Fall Out Boy but was happy to remind listeners that its intensely percussive, explosive, guitar-driven tracks were too cheerful in nature for the band to fall into the emo category. While it's a little more intense, their music borrows on the blend of drama and melody inherent in legendary bands like
Queen, while their look is a mix of glam rock and stylish '80s androgyny. "Venus" goes on the attack quickly with the screaming lead vocals of Jeremy Lublin, the wild drumming of his brother Stephan, and Chris Hatfield's scorching guitar -- yet in the middle there's a cool twinkling keyboard riff that shows a lust for classic melodic rock beyond the bluster. "Now You Know" is power pop at its most delightful, with a sly wink to
KISS via a quick "na na" riff. "So Physical," with its textured talk-sing vocal patterns, perfectly captures the essence of
We Are the Fury's in your face aggressive approach, but they are capable of more subtle, rumbling pop opera as at the beginning of the anthemic, nearly symphonic "Close Your Eyes"; the tune evolves into more blistering energy in spots, but that just swells the symphony to more appealing heights. While the fury is mostly nonstop upfront, they're actually more fun later in the disc on pure ppop-rockers like the quirky horn and vocal harmony driven "Still Don't Know Your Name" and playful pieces like "Hey Love," which taps into a slight
Beatles vibe. The package urges listeners to play the disc at maximum volume, but it's actually the subtleties that make the collection shine the brightest. ~ Jonathan Widran