Grand Unification - Fightstar

When Charlie Simpson left Busted to focus on his other band Fightstar, I don't think there were many people out there that took him particularly seriously. Whilst Busted were essentially a boy band with guitars, his Fightstar project were reported to fit in to the genre of 'Post-Hardcore', something which just didn't seem feasible. Whether or not Busted wrote their own songs was something which was always heavily disputed, and Charlie Simpson's guitar ability was yet to be seen so it is highly understandable then that there were those that had their doubts about the music of Fightstar. I myself was not expecting much when I first listened to Fightstar, however having not ...  Read the complete review

Having heard most of the album played live in London (2006), I was looking forward to hearing the studio version and it hasn't disappointed; in fact I'm glad to see that it contains a couple of tracks from the debut EP, including the amazing Mono which not only sounds just as good live, but is the highlight of the record. While we get to finally hear Grand Unification (Pt. II), the album is fronted by Waste a Moment which perhaps sums up the Fightstar sound the best; an original blend of melodic rock and metal. With that said, Fightstar are by far the best and most ambitious newcomer of the year and this album is miles ahead of a lot of modern, over hyped ...  Read the complete review

When i was younger i was a MASSIVE busted fan [ ROFLMAOLOL! ] and was hoping i would be disappointed by fightstar - a post-hardcore emo band with a hint of grunge - when my music taste started to change [ thank god ] so i downloaded a few tracks off of grand unification and was pleasantly surprised! I proceeded to download the rest of the album. The change between the brilliant harmonies in ''Waste a Moment'' to the fast and catchy ''Grand Unification pt. I'' is fantastic. I love how they can do heavy instrumentals and quiet acoustics fantasticly - many bands mess that up. ''Sleep well Tonight'' contains a lot more of the second singer, Alex, which is ...  Read the complete review

Upon hearing that ex-Busted frontman Charlie Simpson had intentions of setting up a metal band, I have to admit that I was expecting more cringe-worthy anthems such as "Year 3000". However to my pleasant surprise, I found that their first song "Palahniuk's Laughter" was amazingly fresh, new and exciting. In truth, Simpson is in my opinion the proud owner of the best male voice in the whole of British Metal. He has the ability to contrast raucous screams with beautifully soft melodies. Musically, Fightstar bring an amazingly varied spectrum to the table, with brilliant guitar arrangements and Omar Abidi's mouth-droppingly-amazing drumming ...  Read the complete review