THE FIERCE & THE DEAD

TFATD are a band I have been reviewing for more than a decade, during which time I have been a huge fan of everything they have achieved, with their 'Live USA 17 (RosFest 2017)' being nothing sort of a masterpiece. Here we had an instrumental band who were creating monstrous riffs who were beloved by fans of space rock, prog and so much more as they distorted and fuzzed their way into people's brains. Their last studio album, 2018's 'The Euphoric' took five years to appear after 'Spooky Action', so really it should be no surprise that their fourth album took the same amount of time. What was surprising though, was that the singles released ahead of the album had, wait for it, vocals! It was still the same line-up, but just that bassist Kevin Feazey had taken on the role of lead singer ? the rest of the band still Matt Stevens (guitar, keyboards), Steve Cleaton (guitar), and Stuart Marshall (drums).

I was not a huge fan of the last single, "Photogenic Love", as to me it did move the band too far away from their core sound, and I felt they had moved into an area which they themselves describe as a mix of Faith No More, Tame Impala, Smashing Pumpkins, LCD Soundsystem, Flaming Lips, Gorillaz and MGMT, which is not where I had ever expected them to be. However, while I am still not a massive fan of that particular sound (although it has definitely grown on me), when confronted with an album with so many songs containing vocals I have discovered that instead of taking something away from TFATD it has indeed added to their overall sound. That I still prefer their original sound is very much down to personal preference as opposed to as anything the band are doing wrong, and the more I have listened to this this more I have enjoyed it, it was just something of a shock when I first came across it. There are still the heavy riffs, the distorted and fuzzed sound which allows the listener to envisage the riffs as solid entities as opposed to soundwaves, yet there is now the additional element of Kevin's vocals.

In 2023 they describe their sound as a fusion of psychedelic rock, old metal records, post-rock, prog, broken analogue synths, and shoegaze. There is still plenty of their old sound there as well, just morphed and moved into new directions. TFATD are truly progressing and it will be interesting to see where they end up, yet here they have shown yet again proved they are one of the most dynamic and interesting bands in the UK prog scene.

While this band is just beyond the borders of my prog comfort zone, going beyond the fringe is what this site is all about, so why not as I would rather be fierce than dead. This London crew features Matt Stevens and Steve Clayton on guitars and keyboards, lead vocalist and bassist Kev Feazy (who also contributes guitars and keys) and drummer Stuart Marshall. Their modern style combines post-rock, psychedelia, some proggy elements mostly in the background synthesized orchestrations and the colourizing keyboards as well as some pure rock attitudes.

I really enjoyed the opener, cunningly titled "Start", my first time listening to this band, and I instantly fell under the spell of its electro intro, with vocalized poetry that gradually raises its internal temperature until the boiling point is achieved, getting louder and louder. When the drums and the fulminating guitars kick in, it is like a modern version of Robert Calvert-era Hawkwind, at least for an instant, before fading into the silence. "Shake the Jar" is just that, a sonic blender stuck on puree, as the throbbing bass, insistent drums and raging axe all coalesce into tornado mode. The echo-laden vocals swerve in out of focus creating thus the impression of chaos. The outro is suitable dreamy and atmospheric, before taking one more swing at the ball. The imperturbable steamroller guitar fulcrum is at the centre of the initially phosphorescent "Golden Thread", dipping occasionally into a contemplative rampart, ready to pounce back into the fire. The guitars smoulder furiously, the riffs binary and thunderous, featuring descriptive vocals and tons of sound effects.

I really loved the pivoting luxuriance of "Photogenic Love", a mesmerizing melting pot of soft and hard, at times hallucinatorily ceremonial, yet real catchy, the arrangement prominently guided by a wicked bass axis, a pivoting melody that shimmers brightly, and some super innuendo-laden vocals, suddenly slashed by some dual guitar pyrotechnics that set the listening room ablaze. The Calvert hint enters briefly, just a nod and a wink to a fallen icon, a single polaroid snapshot kept in a drawer. A rubbery punkoid bass line (I kneel at the shrine) throttles the otherwise upbeat "Wonderful", a short wham-bam- thank you-ma'am ditty that spares no prisoners, marshalling beat a la Simon King verging on hectic, spiralling guitar shafts that show no light or dark, just a comfortable stage to launch into some musical nexus of insanity. Nasty and I like it!

Time to settle down into a groove and show off some restraint, as "Non-Player" takes nearly 7 minutes to fully develop and bloom. I was somehow transported into a realm reminiscent of the Legendary Pink Dots, replete with psychedelic excursions and floating vocals, and just a hint of crazy, as the guitars rev up seriously half-way through, led by a carousel piano motif that leads to hypnosis of the senses. The return to the shoe-gazing lilt is the coolest transition on the album and when the sultry sax shuffles its sexy squeaks (a la Nik Turner), the urge to applaud becomes compulsive. 'It's all so strange'. A tremendous track. "What A Time to be Alive" is the owner of a serpentine bass line that augurs well for the development of this vividly cinematographic track as it wanders in synthesized heaven, before it dive bombs towards an earth-shattering barrage of six-string fury that has hints of Mick Ronson, with the added details of some frizzy thunder flashes of lightning. The celestial interference acts as a contrast to all the electricity discharged and this is perhaps my favourite track here, just behind the previous three corkers. With a title like "Nostalgia Now", I was in surrender mode from the get-go, a soporific cloud of pervasive psychedelia, with wistful lyrics a mature old geezer like me can sink my teeth into. The space between is expertly traveled instrumentally, adorned with extravagant resonances and hyper entrancing lyrical content. Here I was reminded of some vintage Landberk, a nearly Scandinavian iceberg melting sound and easily Kev's finest vocal performance here, a crushingly poignant delivery for the ages. The doom-drenched guitar curtain call is utterly divine (or satanic, depending on your beliefs). Make that five gems in a row.

I am glad I had erased all my prior pre-conceptions because I did not want the secretary to have to disavow any knowledge of my actions. This tape will NOT self destruct in 5 seconds. And I am looking forward to the next chapter of global unseen stories.

4 Ferocious corpses

Here we have the third single from TFATD's upcoming fourth album, 'News From The Invisible World', and again features vocals from bassist Kevin Feazey and a quite different style to what we have become used to over the last twelve years or so. While when they get going there is a phenomenally heavy bass, there are also plenty of keyboards and not enough guitars, and for the most part this is incredibly light with both vocals from Kevin and harmony vocals from guitarist Steve Cleaton. I once described their sound as "post rock, math rock, space, rock, prog and hard rock all thrown into a metallic melting pot", yet while post rock is still at the heart of what they are doing, they themselves describe this as "Faith No More, Tame Impala, Smashing Pumpkins, LCD Soundsystem, Flaming Lips, Gorillaz and MGMT" which one must agree does not tie in with my description of their earlier music.

I am all for bands progressing and changing and will reserve my overall judgement until I have had the opportunity to listen to the album, but this is not something I ever expected to hear from TFATD, although I am sure it will gain them a much wider commercial audience.

Although I have been a huge fan of TFATD for some years now, I must confess to having never heard their early material as my first introduction to the band was their second album, 2013's 'Spooky Action'. This means I missed out not only on their debut album but some early EPs, but that has now been resolved with this new release which features the first two EPs in full, re-mastered by TFATD bassist Kevin Feazey. This means we start with their first ever release, 2010's 'Part 1' which consists of one extended instrumental track of the same name (more than 18 minutes long). At this point the band were a trio, comprising guitarist Matt Stevens, Kev Feazey (bass, synths) and drummer Stuart Marshall. Their sound back in the early days was clean, with far more space, and while interesting it is possible with hindsight to look back and see that in many ways, here we have a band still looking for the sound and what they wanted to achieve. When the band really start to kick off it starts to sound more like the band we know and love today but realistically it was only with the addition of second guitarist Steve Clayton that the band really began to develop their signature style.

That the second EP kicked off with "666?6" is something of a surprise as I did not realise that this song had been around for so long as it is still something they perform today. With wonderfully distorted bass and crunching drums, the guitars come in over the top and hearing this straight after "Part 1" it is quite a shock to the system as the band have changed dramatically in a very short period of time. Interestingly, this is again something which can be viewed better in hindsight as the band were moving in different directions as they searched for their signature so while the original songs are more cognisant of what they would become, the remixes of "On VHS" don't fit in at all, which shows just how the band were in flux at the time.

While I would hesitate to recommend this release to someone who is not already aware of the band, to the fan this is simply essential.

TFATD are back with the second single from their upcoming fourth album, 'News From The Invisible World', and again it features vocals from bassist Kevin Feazey. Given that the band have not had vocals on their songs until the last single this is still quite a shock in some ways, but again works perfectly in material which sees them move in a slightly different direction, away from the space rock they are so well known for and much more into stoner. One can certainly see them standing up and playing with Kyuss, such is the weight and distortion of the guitars and bass, with the drums driving it from the back. The vocals can drop into a more psychedelic area, while there are still plenty of progressive nuances coming in and out. I particularly like the stop and start about a minute from the end as it just emphasises how heavy these guys really are, while the gentle keyboards utilised show the contrast.

This is a wall of sound out to knock down not only the walls of your house but your neighbour's if you play it loud enough, pounding and crunching without ever becoming too menacing. With two great singles behind them I am really looking forward to the album when it comes out later in the year.

This 12 minute long 3-track EP provides us with a glimpse of what it was like at TFTAD's final show of 2020. Given that these guys love to play, and this was recorded at the beginning of March, it shows just what an impact the pandemic had on live performances in the UK. I have long been a fan of this merry quartet of noisemakers, as they prove time and again that there is room for instrumental progressive rock in the hands of guys who really know what they are doing. Drummer Stuart Marshall and bassist Kev Feazey are always locked in solidly, providing the foundation for guitarists Matt Stevens (who also provides some synth) and Steve Clayton to either be melodic, or frantic. If ever a band really understood the need for dynamics and contrast then it is this one, as they happily switch from one extreme to another, bringing in post rock, mathcore, space rock and classic rock into a melting pot of music where the universe is one of their own creating.

There really is something here for everyone who enjoys guitars, as there is just so much going on. We even get the audience joining in on the chorus of "Palm Trees" (well, it's not so much a chorus as an opportunity for everyone to shout "Palm Trees" at the top of their voices). These three tracks display just why TFATD are in such demand on the live circuit, at so many different festivals. When they lay the hammer down, such as within "Part 2", it is like we are in the middle of a raging storm but then all of a suddenly the rain stops, the sun appears, and we are in a fresh new world. This is currently available on Bandcamp for the princely sum of just £2, so if you have yet to discover the delights of TFATD then the time is now.

The last weekend in July 2019 saw the unwashed masses attend the wonderfully eclectic and pretty amazing festival that is Kozfest at Buttermead Farm in Woolacombe, Devon. Among them that year were four guys who should have appeared in 2018, but on the day of event guitarist Matt Stevens was actually undergoing surgery as part of his cancer treatment. They were determined to make the event in 2019 and drove eight hours from London to make their appearance. Talking about the festival, Kevin Feazey said afterwards "Everybody was there to enjoy themselves and you can hear that energy in the recordings. A good crowd makes a great show and the audience at Kozfest made the gig one of our best. Might not be the cleanest performance but who cares, right?"

This is the third live album from The Fierce & The Dead, and the band see it as a culmination of the live trilogy, but one has to hope they keep the series going as it is when they are on stage that the energy flows and they produce something special. The band are an instrumental quartet of Steve Cleaton (guitar), Matt Stevens (guitar), Kev Feazey (bass) and Stuart Marshall (drums) and together they produce a psychedelic progressive rock sound like so few others. It is an interesting album in many ways, as it is a cross between a bootleg and official release in that it appears they have kept all the conversations taking place with the audience, and we even have the announcement at the beginning that the drummer is currently missing (why is it always the drummer?) and after the set is completed we even get a public service announcement. But the recorded sound is great, and the guys are obviously having a lot of fun and just bouncing around.

There is something about TFATD, especially on songs like "1991", where they remind me somewhat of Ozric Tentacles while never sounding like them at all (no keyboards remember). Stuart sets down the beat, Kev plays heavily fuzzed and distorted bass, and then over the top of there are two guitarists who provide all the lead, rhythm, and melody. There are times when they are almost delicate, almost, and others where the band all just let rip as one. TFATD are a multi-headed instrumental monster who make waves wherever they appear, and the audience were certainly vocal in their support. Short numbers such as "Magnet In Your Face" (less than 100 seconds) allow the band to show they can produce quality no matter the length, and it is a riff-hungry blast which is sheer fun. This is an album to be listened to with a smile on the face as we all know everyone there that night was enjoying themselves as well. This album may only have been released digitally but it is just as fine as the other release. To my ears TFATD are one of the most original and bloody enjoyable bands around, and this demonstrates just that.

In 2017 TFATD released a live album which was recorded at the Ramblin' Man Festival, in July the year before. Now we have in front of us another live album which was recorded slightly more than a year from the previous album, but with no duplicated tracks whatsoever. This was recorded at the mighty Rites of Spring Festival (RosFest) in Gettysburg, PA in 2017, and includes tracks from the two studio albusm released at this time, 'If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving to Morecambe' and 'Spooky Action' as well as previewing quite a few numbers from 'The Euphoric' which wasn't released until the following year. So not only have we got a relatively small instrumental progressive rock band from the UK playing at one of the most important progressive rock festivals in the world, they are playing music no-one there will have ever heard. The guys must carry their balls around in a dumper "Truck".

I have loved this band right from when I first heard from guitarist Matt Stevens, and he and his partner in crime Steve Cleaton weave tapestries from the musical threads, sometime giving us a delicate picture while at others it is far more brutal. Then behind them there is Kev Feazey producing some of the heaviest distorted bass lines one is ever likely to hear, and drummer Stuart Marshall just refuses to sit quietly and behave himself. This is guitar-driven instrumental rock which somehow always reminds me of Ozric Tentacles but sounds nothing on earth like them, as they create sounds and moods which create a brand-new world as they never conform to what anyone thinks they should be doing. This is a rock band first and foremost, just listen to the way they turn up the distortion and volume in the right places on "Spooky Action", creating a staccato attack on the sense which then allows them to of course go and produce something completely different.

TFATD can be delicate, quiet, almost gentle as they drift slowly through the progsphere, but there are other times when they just let it all go and then they are a force to be reckoned with. Surely one of the most important bands around, I just wish the guys would come over here to play but as that is never likely to happen I will just have to keep playing this on repeat.

UK band THE FIERCE & THE DEAD haven't been around for more than 8 years at this point, and yet they have rather quickly managed to become the darlings of reviewers, the music press and a sizeable, dedicated fan base in just a few of those years. "The Euphoric" is the band's third studio album, and was released through UK label Bad Elephant Music in the spring of 2018.

The Fierce & the Dead is a band that appears to be able to do everything just right, at least as far as creating music is concerned. They have become darlings of the music press, or at least parts of it, for many reasons, and all of them are at display on this wild, eccentric yet also compelling production. Quirky, instrumental progressive rock with a relatively broad appeal and a multitude of facets is the name of the game here. If you haven't yet checked out this band, this CD strikes me as a very good place to start doing just that.

And so, the accidental band are back. Originally destined to be Matt Stevens' second solo album, TFATD have morphed into possibly the most important instrumental rock act in the UK today. Comprising Matt (guitar, synth, piano), Kev Feazey (bass, programming, synth, percussion), Steve Cleaton (guitar, piano) and Stuart Marshall (drums, percussion) they have gained an amazing following (The Fierce Army) over the last few years, due in no small part to be a great live act who have found new fans wherever they have played. They can often be found playing with their mates Hawkwind, and gained huge kudos from their gig last year with Monkey3 at The Borderline.

Here they are back with their third studio album, which follows on from 2013's 'Spooky Action' (they released the live 'Field Recordings' last year). It is incredibly hard to categorise their sound as it comprises elements from post rock, math rock, space, rock, prog and hard rock all thrown into a metallic melting pot. There are times when it feels that the band are just bouncing ideas off each other in the studio, jamming live, when at others it feels slightly more structured but whatever they are doing it always contains a mighty groove that makes the listener to move along to the music. Due to the small matter of geography I have never seen the guys play (they formed four years after I moved to the other side of the world), which I know is very much my loss, as while this is a great album I know that in concert it will be turned into something that is quite another level.

TFATD have stayed true to their roots to this album, and that the mainstream is starting to embrace them has far more to do with the rest of the world coming to grips with how good they are as opposed any 'selling out'. This is an incredibly easy album to listen to, although with the distorted riffs sweeping through my brain I could never call them easy listening. This could well be the album that breaks them through to the big time, and it will be richly deserved. If you haven't come across them before this, now is the time.