Fight Amp - Manners and Praise
Rating
RIYL
16Melvins
Helmet
Sweet Cobra
Release Date
10/27/2009
Label
Translation LossTracklist
1. Bad Listener I2. Time Is Money
3. Be Safe
4. Elbows Off
5. Don’t I Know You?
6. Faith in Man
7. Bitter Son
8. Go Getter
9. Magic Words
10. Half a Holiday
11. Extra Regular
12. School
13. Bad Listener II
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Every couple of years a new subgenre pushes its way to the forefront of the metal underground. In the late 1990s it was metalcore, and in this decade we’ve seen deathcore and post-metal a la Isis garner significant followings. If the resounding success of bands like Mastodon, Kylesa, and Baroness has taught us anything, it’s that currently the sludge-infused brand of metal and its offshoots, colloquially dubbed beard metal, are all the rage. Amidst this crowded field Fight Amp have returned with their sophomore effort Manners and Praise, a thick, disheveled slice of Pabst-pounding sludge. Although there isn’t much here to truly separate Fight Amp from the pack, as they largely trade on genre conventions, this is a very solid, well-executed record.
Fight Amp kick Manners and Praise off with “Bad Listener I,” a track that features punk rock snarls and huge, sludgy riffs right alongside each other. The following cut, “Time Is Money,” is a searing instrumental number that finds the band charging headlong into “Be Safe,” one of the record’s best songs. “Elbows Off” is a showcase for the rhythm section, featuring some incredibly tight drumming, and “Better Son” has a feel of alcohol-induced revelry and reckless abandon, while displaying yet more standout riffs. “Magic Words” and “School” are other very strong songs that are indicative of Fight Amp’s fuzzed-out, sludgy rock ’n roll. The band closes the record with “Bad Listener II,” a variation on the album’s opening track. Although ostensibly included to give Manners and Praise a tidy ending and complete the album’s flow as the seemingly logical closer, the track comes off as grating, repetitive, and unnecessary. This one should have been left off of the album. Fortunately it’s the record’s only true black mark.
Manners and Praise is a quality effort by Fight Amp and another sound addition to the burgeoning beard metal scene. Although they clearly are a product of their influences, they do those influences justice. Buoyed by consistent songwriting and vision, virtually every track is propelled by excellent guitar riffs, chunky bass work, and locked-in drumming. This is a record with serious bollocks, made by a band who obviously knows what they’re doing. There is a high degree of quality control found within these thirteen songs, but Fight Amp still need to define a true individual identity to create some distance between themselves and the hordes of other bands attempting a similar style. Still, those that worship at the altar of the whiskey-soaked riff will have no problem getting right into this and will undoubtedly leave the album feeling satisfied.
--Jake Oliver
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