Before I review Find a Way, the 2005 release by The Furnace, I should clear up a quick point.
Last time, I touted Beyond What's Become as their second release. Actually, it was their second full-length album. They released Under a Demon Sky, an EP with six songs (at least that's what the 2015 reissue on Napster has), in or around 2000. Although Paul Burch has tried to share the music with me, I still haven't been able to get access. From what I can tell listening to the online samples, the EP includes Kevin Flowers singing the revised version of their vampire's hymn ("Tar"), an early attempt at "Two-Faced Savior," the actual radio release of "Bury My Bones," and a mix of three other songs I'm not familiar with, two of which are live.
Also, I neglected to mention that Beyond What's Become won a local award for best heavy metal album presented to the band by Phoenix rockers, Flotsam and Jetsam. An incredible accomplishment and highlight of their career, regardless of personnel.
But I want this to be about their music, not a biography, so I'll stick to covering their songs. I do think it's important to reveal lineup changes, so I should mention that this release includes almost the same players, except Ryan Eibling stepping in on drums. He does a solid job throughout the recordings, but he's a bit busier than Paul, almost as if he's trying to prove his worth (the opposite of how I felt about Dave Armstrong taking over for Kevin on vocals). Paul continues to get songwriting credits, as does Rex Van Dine, a vocalist who spent a year with The Furnace before Beyond What's Become and now fronts Stereo Rex.
"Find a Way" is the first of seven songs on the album (almost another EP itself because two of the songs are remakes of earlier releases). It's one of my favorite songs by The Furnace (I will reveal a personal Top Ten as part of my final review in a couple of weeks). In fact, the entire album is brilliant. It's my favorite so far. All the tracks are short and tight. The engineering is superb. I probably listened quite a bit when it first came out because I could sing along with all the songs right away. It's an excellent follow-up. These five tracks are as good, if not better, than what they offered on their award-winning previous album.
"Find a Way" opens with grumbling drums that transcend quickly into an electrifying guitar riff and yearning melody. Dave's vocals and the songwriting, especially for the pre-chorus, remain outstanding. The layered lyrics throughout the chorus haunt us with desire to reunite these separated lovers. I especially like the lyrics, "You've seen me calling, but you find me difficult to hear." The strongest line of everything I've heard from this amazing band so far.
The next track, "Make Me Bleed," starts out with an acoustic intro but plows into a heavy riff that drops out as the vocals begin, giving us an amazing Nirvana feel. There's this uptempo riff as we power into the chorus that keeps my head banging. An aggressive bridge includes the line, "you fucked me over and left me bleeding," and anyone who's ever been in a bitter relationship buys right into that sentiment. I love the whole structure of the song. The musicians are relentless as Dave punches that solitary refrain at the end: "leaving you would make me bleed."
"Comfort" is third and begins with Dave singing the chorus by himself as the guitars gradually fade in, launching a powerful riff under a quick lead. Dave stands toe to toe with the guitars, alternating like two boxers squaring off in the ring. By the time we get to the musical break, we're pummeled. Dave echoes the haunting refrain over another acoustic run during the musical bridge before his pleas for solace end while the drums roll. This is a masterpiece.
"See the Lie" and "All of This" complete the new material. "See the Lie" includes what's probably their best guitar solo since the first album. Again, I don't know whether it's Danny or Casey playing, but it doesn't fucking matter. The song rocks and rolls as only the best metal knows how to do. "All of This" starts with a "Diary of a Madman"-type intro that leads us to believe we're heading into another amazing power ballad along the lines of "The Child" or "Say Goodbye." Our suspicions are proved wrong rather quickly as the guitars and drums rip loose. Dave's vocals are better than ever. He even has this Roy Orbison thing going on (okay, if Roy Orbison ever sang heavy metal) where he hits some amazing notes over a hammering riff.
"Slave," the first remake, improves on the original, despite feeling a bit slower. The piece is tighter overall, and Dave sounds more confident in his delivery. "Look Down Upon Me" holds its own, not only with the original, but as the climax to this remarkable collection. It's bold to re-attempt your own songs. Elvis (my favorite artist) rarely did it. One of the few times he tried was an abysmal version of "Blue Suede Shoes" after he came back from the army. You can tell his heart was no longer in it. Not the case here. The Furnace proves why they're heavy metal masters, not only on this track, but on the entire album.
The disc is available on Amazon for only $5.92. Order here: Find a Way
Next up: Words I Never Said.
"Find a Way" opens with grumbling drums that transcend quickly into an electrifying guitar riff and yearning melody. Dave's vocals and the songwriting, especially for the pre-chorus, remain outstanding. The layered lyrics throughout the chorus haunt us with desire to reunite these separated lovers. I especially like the lyrics, "You've seen me calling, but you find me difficult to hear." The strongest line of everything I've heard from this amazing band so far.
The next track, "Make Me Bleed," starts out with an acoustic intro but plows into a heavy riff that drops out as the vocals begin, giving us an amazing Nirvana feel. There's this uptempo riff as we power into the chorus that keeps my head banging. An aggressive bridge includes the line, "you fucked me over and left me bleeding," and anyone who's ever been in a bitter relationship buys right into that sentiment. I love the whole structure of the song. The musicians are relentless as Dave punches that solitary refrain at the end: "leaving you would make me bleed."
"Comfort" is third and begins with Dave singing the chorus by himself as the guitars gradually fade in, launching a powerful riff under a quick lead. Dave stands toe to toe with the guitars, alternating like two boxers squaring off in the ring. By the time we get to the musical break, we're pummeled. Dave echoes the haunting refrain over another acoustic run during the musical bridge before his pleas for solace end while the drums roll. This is a masterpiece.
"See the Lie" and "All of This" complete the new material. "See the Lie" includes what's probably their best guitar solo since the first album. Again, I don't know whether it's Danny or Casey playing, but it doesn't fucking matter. The song rocks and rolls as only the best metal knows how to do. "All of This" starts with a "Diary of a Madman"-type intro that leads us to believe we're heading into another amazing power ballad along the lines of "The Child" or "Say Goodbye." Our suspicions are proved wrong rather quickly as the guitars and drums rip loose. Dave's vocals are better than ever. He even has this Roy Orbison thing going on (okay, if Roy Orbison ever sang heavy metal) where he hits some amazing notes over a hammering riff.
"Slave," the first remake, improves on the original, despite feeling a bit slower. The piece is tighter overall, and Dave sounds more confident in his delivery. "Look Down Upon Me" holds its own, not only with the original, but as the climax to this remarkable collection. It's bold to re-attempt your own songs. Elvis (my favorite artist) rarely did it. One of the few times he tried was an abysmal version of "Blue Suede Shoes" after he came back from the army. You can tell his heart was no longer in it. Not the case here. The Furnace proves why they're heavy metal masters, not only on this track, but on the entire album.
The disc is available on Amazon for only $5.92. Order here: Find a Way
Next up: Words I Never Said.
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