Photo with kind permission by: Down The Barrel Photography
Info: Hard Rock newcomers Jet Fuel Chemistry have burst onto the scene in their hometown of Dublin, Ireland where underground venues have been shaken to their foundations by hoarse twenty-something rock and metal fans pulling muscles to their uplifting heavy/hard/garage/groove-rock sound. The five-piece ensemble met through session work on the Dublin scene, and bonded over their mutual affection for throaty riffs, mesmerising grooves and bottom-shelf whiskey. Yesterday they released their self-titled debut EP.
Something I've found hard to come by over the last few years, (and I know it's because I haven't been looking hard enough - not that it doesn't exist) is some good old heavy rock. When I heard Dublin quintet Jet Fuel Chemistry's single 'Phantom' at the beginning of the year I was most pleased, a sound that appeals to one of my, excuse the awful pun, bedrocks of favourite genres in heavy rock (the other being blues rock).
'Flinch' kicks us straight into gear and is a nice intro to the band's sound, moving from grunge to heavy rock as it builds, it's a modern re-imagining of 90's cult bands Mother Love Bone and Temple of the Dog with a bit of a hair-rock solo thrown in for good measure. The blast continues with 'Karma' which again harks back to that classic 90's hard-rock sound, and I'm loving that nailed-on looped chugging riffage that begins at 2:20, just when you think the band are about to soften up.
Yeah, 'Dust' is a slay and then some, with JFC striding straight into metal territory, this is the music your parents used to start to get worried about when it was pouring out of your bedroom, "It must be those new friends he's hanging out with....". Despite the overall heavy nature of the track, there are enough moments to appeal to music fans who aren't overly familiar with the genre and it has quite the pop-sounding chorus vocally.
Of the debut single 'Phantom' I observed back in January; "Vocally Dan Cusack mixes clean popular rock vocals with a delightful screech as required. 3:18 is where it all explodes for me, that's the point where I knew I really liked what the five-piece were up to on this debut single." After the really nice break of ballad-rock with an almost Guns N' Roses element in 'Way Back Home' we close with the ominously titled 'Raised by Wolves', this is real headbangers ball stuff and a great way to end the EP, bone-crunching bass-lines and guitars accompanied by a pounding percussion see Jet Fuel Chemistry display that they are no one-trick ponies. Again that chug at 1:30 and rolling bass with attitude are highly enjoyable, and the vocal harmonies which wouldn't be amiss on an early Marilyn Manson album work so well in lifting the track up a notch. Quality stuff.
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