Fueled By Fire-Trapped In Perdition

Noiseart Records
2013

Norwalk, California is home base for thrash metal warriors Fueled By Fire. The group, which has ties to the band Sodomizing the Dead, first formed in 2002 with a demo, "Life, Death and FBF, coming in 2005. With "Trapped In Perdition" it's album number three for this group. While the band's first full-length album, 2007's "Spread The Fire", gathered mix reviews (Metal Mark reviewed it for Heavy Metal Time Machine and gave it a good review) I remember hearing it and thinking that for a retro-thrash band they were not half band. Their second album, 2010's "Plunging into Darkness", I did not have the pleasure of hearing, but from what I hear on this 3rd album it seems as if there has been significant growth and maturity from the music to the lyrics. Still soaked in Bay Area thrash worship (Exodus, Testament, Death Angel, Sadus, Forbidden, Heathen and Lääz Rockit) the band's sound easily hearkens back to the golden days when all of those aforementioned bands (as well as Overkill, Intruder, Evildead and Nuclear Assault) roamed the earth in grand fashion. Former bassist turned lead singer/guitarist Rick Rangel has the thrash metal style nailed down flat and with a good group of musicians such as lead guitarist Chris Monroy (Skeletal Remains), bassist Anthony Vasquez (Sodomizing the Dead) and drummer Carlos Gutierrez (also formerly of Sodomizing the Dead) backing him up this new album finds the group making huge strides towards a more formidable and unified style of their own. Give this group another album or two and Fueled By Fire should be looking at a sincere style all their own. In the meantime this is a solid addition to any thrash metal fanatics collection.