Picture it. Sicily. Or, rather, America in the late ‘90s / early 00’s. Landmark metal/hardcore bands like ONLY LIVING WITNESS had called it quits for whatever reason, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE wasn’t the slave to the hype engine they were soon to become, and bands like SHADOWS FALL were making some quality metalcore (emphasis on the metal). Into the fray leapt FREYA, and ‘03’s As The Last Light Drains was, to my ears, a masterwork of the style. Though more hardcore, largely due to the members’ backgrounds, the solos tastefully, the melodic vocals weren’t off-putting and everything fit exactly where it belonged.
Fast forward to today, and Fight As One bites ferociously from the start, a pummeling riff and traditional hardcore stomp fanning the flame of ‘Nothingness Or God’. Want some gang vocals? Well, they’re here. Craving the blood, bruises and ecstatic release of a blended pit before the fools started thinking they were in Cobra Kai? That’s here and all through Fight As One. Reference ‘Sense Of Doom’, guest throat Jamey Jasta turning in his most convincing and passionate performance in decades.
While the incomparable Freddy Cricien of (fucking) MADBALL and TERROR’s Scott Vogel lend their snarls ‘n’ barks to the title track and ‘1000 Yard Stare’ respectively, the feeling is that the numerous guest appearances were less an afterthought and more an intentional gathering of friends under a single banner. A rebel reunion of sorts, and the tunes exude the enjoyment the guys must’ve had during the recording sessions.
‘Flames Of War’ spot-welds an almost DRI (remember Crossover?) sensibility to a riff post-’89 SLAYER would’ve – and probably should’ve – tried to time travel and steal, while ‘Beyond Despair’, at over 4 minutes takes its time in that swaying doom FREYA can also perform with legitimacy.
Given the band’s name, it’s unsurprising there are references to Norse/Scandinavian myth and folklore throughout their catalog, so that closer, ‘Odin’, is also one of the most volatile, immediate tracks on the album is no surprise. It’s also no surprise, but should give a sense of hope to fans of FREYA, and heavy music in general, that Fight As One shows a band two decades and six albums later still making music that’s both enjoyable and thought provoking.
Review By: Lord Randall
FREYA
Fight As One
Upstate Records