Brows Above The Competition (Grand Unification - Fightstar)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Grand Unification - Fightstar
Date:	27/01/08 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great album with plenty to take in and appreciate.

Disadvantages: With 'Grand Unification', the band were yet to reach their full potential.

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 been expecting much I was pleasantly surprised with what I heard from the band. Post-Hardcore is not really a favourite genre of mine, and in fact many bands of this sort I really can't stand, however when I first heard the 'Grand Unification' album from Fightstar, my first reaction was to listen to it over and over again. With each and every listen the album seemed to gain greater depth and increase in likeability. Fightstar's début album was increasingly growing on me by the minute, an album I'd get to know very well over the coming months.

It would seem I was not the only one to have been impressed with Fightstar, Kerrang labelling the band as 'Stunning post-hardcore', and even the NME getting in on the act with a declaration of the band being 'Rather brilliant'. Although the 'Grand Unification' album was released on Universal Records, the band did not go straight on to a major label after Charlie Simpson left Busted as he wanted to prove himself to be a serious musician and not have his new band handed everything on a plate. Simpson and his band mates wanted to earn their right to success, and did so by first releasing an EP in the February of 2005 through their own 'Sandwich Leg Records' imprint. The EP was restricted to a limited release of 7500 CD's and 1000 Vinyl and it was not until a full year later in the March of 2006 that their début album 'Grand Unification' was released.

The first time I listened to the 'Grand Unification' album, I enjoyed it quite a lot, however it was through repeated play that I began to fully appreciate 'Grand Unification', a definite grower of an album. Right from the word go I knew that I was going to love the album, 'To Sleep' provides a fantastic instrumental introduction and you just know that it is building up to something big. The introduction has quite a relaxed, chilled out vibe, however whilst it is playing you just know that the album is about to explode into your ears, particularly towards the end of the introduction where screaming vocals can be heard faintly over the backdrop of the music. When 'Grand Unification, Pt. I' begins it is no disappointment, the build up has not fooled you and this truly is a most masterful piece of music. Although perhaps not one of the best tracks from the album, it is explosive, angst ridden, and overall downright enjoyable to listen to. Fightstar instantly make their mark on you with this one, and having heard the first track on the album you just can't wait to hear more.

From start to finish there is never a dull moment with 'Grand Unification', each and every one of the tracks has plenty to offer. The drum beats are always powerful, the guitar riffs crushing, and the lyrics greatly engaging. Every single track is a highlight, and with every move the band make here they seem to impress me massively so. 'Paint Your Target' was a successful single from the 'Grand Unification' album, however is merely one of many from the album that impresses. Containing three Top 40 singles and one that narrowly missed out on being one, Fightstar are clearly great at what they do as there are not many bands out there that can gain such phenomenal success from making music of this sort.

Three tracks from the EP 'They Liked You Better When You Were Dead' were rerecorded for release on this album; 'Lost Like Tears In Rain', 'Mono', and 'Hazy Eyes' were the chosen three, and all of them benefit supremely from their musical makeover. Whilst all three of the tracks impressed to begin with anyway, the rerecorded versions are even better than the originals and fit perfectly in keeping with the album as a whole. 'Mono' is perhaps one of my favourite Fightstar tracks, I absolutely love the chilled out vibe that is present in this one, and the pace at which the track moves is just absolutely perfect. 'Mono' is a beautiful piece of music with everything about it just fitting together flawlessly, from the softly spoken vocals right through to the intelligently executed guitar play; 'Mono' just seems to work on every level, a track that becomes even more perfect when witnessed first hand viewing the band live in concert.

When I listen to an album, it is often the case that for me there are a few tracks that tend to spoil the overall listening experience. This is not so with the 'Grand Unification' album from Fightstar, I can listen to the album from start to finish without ever feeling the urge to reach for the 'skip' button. When listening to this album there are of course areas in which I feel the band could improve, however was this not so then Fightstar would have a pretty bleak future ahead of them as a band; if you have already achieved perfection then what else is there to aim for.

Tracks such as 'Hazy Eyes', 'Waste a Moment', and of course the aforementioned hit single 'Paint Your Target' spring to mind in terms of overall highlights from the album. 'Waste a Moment' with it's brutally heavy guitars, 'Hazy Eyes' again for its guitars this time cleverly carried out, and 'Paint Your Target' for its epic chorus, great catchiness, and for just generally being an all round terrific tune. It is hard to single out tracks really when the album is so good, but then again - as I have already said, in this album the band do show some signs of needing to improve in certain areas sometimes and inevitably individual tracks are going to stand out more so than others to different people for varying reasons.

Whilst 'Grand Unification' is by no means perfect, it is a great album and is well worth your while checking out. Some may be put off Fightstar as a result of the past of Charlie Simpson and his presence in boy band Busted, however I would suggest you ignore the fact that this is the case as Fightstar produce some excellent music which is greatly appealing. Their sound is magnificent, and with each and every listen I seem to pick up on something that I had not noticed before in the album and therefore every listen I learn something new and the album never becomes tiresome. Having now moved on to album number two, Fightstar are a band who show no signs of splitting up just yet and hopefully will spend many more years present in the UK music scene.

Summary: A fantastic début album from Charlie Simpson's Fightstar