Album Review: Through Fire – All Animal (Sumerian Records)

The Omaha, NE quartet of Justin McCain [lead guitar, songwriter], Grant Joshua Kendrick [lead vocals], Kyle LeBlanc [bass], and Grant Brooks [drums]—fuses hard-hitting riffs, electronic provocations, and contagious melodies. As a result, this impactful, immediate, and infectious fusion defies categorization and incites energy as boundless as the style itself. Additionally, the approach transformed the quartet into a phenomenon with chart-topping radio successes and over 20 million Spotify streams and 48 million YouTube views in under two years.

Now, the same fire fuels Through Fire’s second full-length album entitled ‘All Animal’ out on July 19th 2019 via Sumerian Records.

There are no limitations to what we do”, says Justin. “From a songwriting standpoint, I wrote this album with no boundaries. I wanted great, timeless songs. I wasn’t going to settle for anything less.

Kicking off with a bang, the chunky riffs and slamming beat immediately doing its job in regards to getting the blood pumping. Energetic and fast, the chorus is huge and catchy but the stuttering effects layered over the vocals don’t quite work.

It’s electronica that drives Medicine, used to good effect before Sick and Tired drops some thick sounding riffs. Both sticking solidly to the formula of having high choruses surrounded by electronica beats and a tough metal groove.

It works well and Through Fire have clearly put some serious time and energy in making sure it flows well. However, there are times when it veers a little too close to being quite poppy. Listen to Your Heart is one such case rescued by a blistering guitar solo near the end.

That rescue is short-lived though as the album takes a bit of a nose-dive. Superhero seems destined for a lot of radio airplay thanks to its more simplistic rhythm and singalong chorus but it’s just not very memorable. While Die Sober’s slow tempo and reliance on the same effect over and over again just isn’t very good. Lacking substance, neither track can be called highlights by any stretch.

It gets better with Doubt thanks to a more substantial lead, a meatier combination of heaviness and electronica with Breaking Point and a banging finale in Wake the Dead.

It’s a mixed bag of an album overall, some good tracks, some bad tracks. Taste is important here as if the idea of electronica dominating and controlling much of the music you’re going to hate this record. Whereas if you enjoy that sort of thing you’ll really find yourself enjoying this.

Through Fire – All Animal Full Track Listing:

1. All Animal
2. Medicine
3. Sick and Tired
4. Listen To Your Heart
5. Superhero
6. Die Sober
7. Doubt
8. Breaking Point
9. If You Love Me, Leave Me
10. My Son
11. Wake the Dead

Links

Shop | Spotify | Amazon