Apparently they’ve been around since 2008 but it’s definitely the first I’ve heard from Worcester hardcore punk band Fights And Fires. Their new album We Could All Be Dead Tomorrow consists of eleven tracks that have enough passion and angst to get you through your darkest times. A little bit like Funeral For A Friend’s angry cousin and possibly Rage Against The Machine’s little brother, Fights And Fires have definitely got plenty to shout about.
Beginning their fierce album with Chase The Blues, we get a great picture of what these guys are really all about. The frantic, breathy vocals are present from the off and matched with some seriously great riffs and a strong drum base, it’s an awesome heavy punk track. Followed by more passionate vocals in Back Bone, which has a touch of Escape The Fate about it. It’s a true moshpit anthem along with Mother’s Advice, a song full of suspense and power, where the guitars really shine and BFF… For Now, which is a typical fast metal track.
The album does occasionally veer into the slightly melodic with backing vocals on Tread Water, If I’m Forrest Then You’re Jenny and Haunted House, the latter of which has a funk element and repetitive guitars with a strong sense of hopelessness. Catchy rhythms aren’t rare on this album and despite the sheer amount of heartfelt emotion in the vocals, it is the instruments that really come through on the record. They’re a band who know how to rock their guitars and there are a number of impressive riffs and killer drums.
Although they don’t really chill out that much, Rats And Vultures has an Americana driving sound to it. The catchy chorus and matching growly guitars give it a more relaxed feel and it continues into the slower Cats Lives, which retains the angst and has a strong sense of being on the edge of sanity. It ends very abruptly, which is quite telling and is meant to leave us questioning what happened.
Ending on Small Town Boy Pt II, the album explodes in a fit of speed and disarray. It does bear some resemblance to early My Chemical Romance during the first half before it drops and we are left with just a smokey guitar whining in feedback. A drum creates suspense and the crescendo to the final push which sees the band crying in despair “How do you miss what you never had?”. Something that is both quite moving and thought-provoking. In other words, we’ve all been there.