Unitron Fight - War of Words

'War of Words' is the debut studio album from groove/thrash metal band Fight. After the tour for one of Judas Priest's most critically acclaimed albums, 'Painkiller', vocalist Rob Halford left Judas Priest due to internal tensions. So, Halford decided to form the groove/thrash band Fight years before the Priest had their own stint with groove metal with 1997's 'Jugulator'. So what does Halford's thrash/groove side sound like?

This is what I'd call Judas Priest meets Pantera meets Voivod. So, if you can imagine a combination of high screams and slow power ballad-like songs ala 'Painkiller', the grooving riffing and thrashing stomp of Pantera, and the punk-metal thrash delivery of Voivod, then you would probably get Fight. From the energetic Judas Priest meets thrash opening of 'Into the Pit' to the dark and menacing 'Reality, A New Beginning', this album is solid and addicting all the way through. One of my favorites is the title track, with pulsating grooves and the addicting chants of 'War of words!', not to mention the excellent political/social message in the lyrics. Another favorite is the crushing stomp of 'Contortion', which begins slow and soft before getting assaulted with crushing riffs and a pure headbanging-ready chorus. The more melodic songs are equally excellent, and there's also some variation with the beginning of 'Little Crazy', which soon becomes a great grooving song.

The Voivod influence comes near the end, with the songs 'Kill It' and 'Vicious', which just scream Voivod to me. Halford's voice has a real punk-like delivery on these songs and 'Nailed to the Gun', which may remind one of Snake from Voivod. While in Judas Priest Halford usually has his screams and low-tone voice, but his punk-edged voice is great to hear on this release. It especially works perfectly on 'Nailed to the Gun' fitting with the fast crunch of the guitar. 'Kill It' has some sweet grinding guitar riffs with quick shouts of 'Kill It!'.

Overall, this is one hell of an addicting album. Once you take a listen, I'm sure you won't be able to Fight the urge to listen over and over. A pretty underrated gem of an album, that I highly recommend to any fans of Judas Priest, Pantera, or Voivod. Hope you found this review helpful.

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Vim Fuego Fight was Rob Halford's post-Judas Priest project, formed after he quit the band due to the age-old "musical differences" chestnut. God knows what the differences were, because Fight sounded just like a Judas Priest tribute band, although a pretty good one at that. First album `War Of Words' was a barnstorming debut from the band, but then Halford had been in the metal business for more than 20 years, so Fight's success wasn't a great surprise.

Split between live tracks and remixes, Fight's `Mutations' is short on substance, and is presented in minimalist form to say the least. There is no new material, as all the tracks, except a live cover, are lifted from "War Of Words". There is no mention as to where and when the live tracks were recorded, or who remixed the other songs.

The live tracks are performed with passion and conviction, so no complaints there. Fight's sound is completely interchangeable with Judas Priest's, and "Into The Pit" and "Nailed To The Gun" could very easily have come from Priest's `Painkiller' masterpiece. The cover of "Freewheel Burning" sounds right at home next to them. "Little Crazy" however, does not sound like a Judas Priest song, with its blues-inspired swagger bursting into a crowd-pleasing sing along. Halford encourages audience participation, which is a nice touch, but nothing which hasn't been done countless times before.

So to the remixes. If you're expecting Fear Factory-style cybernetic electronica, with dub or gabba mixes, you're in for a disappointment. The remixing is basically just window dressing. The guitars have been clipped so the riffs take on a more staccato sound, the bass has been boosted, a couple of breakdowns have been worked in, and a fairly basic dance beat added in places. It's deconstruction-lite, so as not to alienate too many metal fans, which makes perfect sense commercially, but is too safe to be worth the effort.

`Mutations' is sub-titled `Collector's Edition', but there really isn't much to collect. Sure, the basic material is fine, but so much more could have been done with it. It points where Rob Halford was going musically, because he had a go at mixing metal and industrial with the short-lived 2wo. Even Fight fans should think twice about this album.

Vim Fuego Just pretend for a moment you are the vocalist of one of the all-time top selling heavy metal bands (yes, it is quite a stretch of the imagination!), and you are not happy. The band has only sporadically produced worthwhile material for the best part of a decade, and you are feeling like letting loose. If you are Rob Halford, and you are the singer for Judas Priest, you form Fight. Yes, Fight, the side project that saw Rob Halford ejected from Judas Priest, inadvertently revitalising both Halford and Priest. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Fight took a huge slab of Priest, and added a dash of thrash sensibilities, which left an unfettered Halford free to revive the forgotten art of Screaming for Vengeance. So what do we get? Well, lots of Priest influenced, headkicking metal, not terribly original, but entertaining and as catchy as hepatitis in a spitting competition. By keeping the music simple, Rob Halford’s unique voice was allowed space to explore it’s full range. There are straightforward stompers like ‘Into the Pit’, ‘War of Words’, ‘Kill It’ and ‘Vicious’. ‘Little Crazy’ is a little different, using slide guitars to add an almost country feel. ‘For All Eternity’ sees Halford’s voice soar, while ‘Reality: A New Beginning’ explores an almost trippy subtlety. The main thing missing from this album is Halford’s old writing team. While guitarists Russ Parrish and Brian Tilse create a heavier sound than the Judas Priest duo, there are none of the unforgettable Tipton/Downing riffs. True, ‘War of Words’ is not a Judas Priest album, and the style is different, the comparisons are inevitable, and ultimately unfavourable. There really isn't much more to say about this album. It is solid, uncomplicated 1990s heavy metal. Fans will know what to expect. It is unlikely to convert the unconverted. It is metal, simple as that.