STEPHEN PEARCY – Fueler

Former Ratt vocalist Stephen Pearcy is back with a new solo release of fresh material, simply entitled Fueler. Ironically, this solo effort was released around the time of his somewhat abysmal seventeen track re-recorded Ratt compilation attempt, Round And Round Greatest Hits (click here for Metal Express Radio’s full review of that effort). Thankfully, Pearcy hasn’t completely reconstructed the past with his new effort, and, in the end, might help fans forget some of his past musical creativity transgressions.

Okay, first to get the unpleasantness out of the way. You can’t truly forgive Pearcy for including “Round & Round XXX,” which is another recording of the Ratt classic of nearly the same name. This version starts out with Pearcy shouting, “What comes around goes around Mother F$#^&%s.” Two questions; is this statement directed towards the listeners, or towards the current Ratt incarnation? Secondly, why record and release another version of this song? Granted, this version sounds closer to the Ratt-infested version from “Out Of The Cellar,” and is slightly better than the one found on Round And Round Greatest Hits, but why go there again?

Overall, Fueler has a very different modernized sound from Ratt, which is a good thing for Pearcy and fans. The guitars are edgier, angrier, and more distorted, with hardly a typical guitar solo around. The guitars tend to be recorded with a myriad of pedal effects; from wah sounds, to buzzes, to reverb, etc. The rhythm section has a very low, tight, ballsy bottom end as well. The music treads a boundary somewhere between abrasive Hard Rock and Electronica tainted NuMetal. For example, on the opener “Overdrive,” Pearcy’s vocals are recorded with a tinge of distortion and ends with a rather bizarre sounding, small, fading guitar solo at the track’s conclusion. The release includes a video of the first single, “Drive Me,” which is a plodding tune with a heavy bottom end and a guitar accompaniment that sounds much closer to a synthesizer. “Young And The Damned” has a little more melody than some of the other tracks, and even has a somewhat catchy feel to it. The chorus on this one is backed by some thin-sounding, slightly abrasive guitar riffing. “Sinomatic,” on the other hand, has one of the best bass sounds on the album. The bass is clear, tight, and bobs along backed by a nice off-beat on drums and then is joined by a buzz saw guitar rhythm.

One past complaint is surely satisfied by this release; it doesn’t sound like Ratt and it will surely make you forget that compilation fiasco. Overall, the release falls into the slightly different, slightly experimental sector. It’s Hard Rock fused with NuMetal overtones and Pearcy sounds remarkably solid on vocals. If you can handle a “Nu” flavored sound, without the shouted vocals, and can live without guitar solos, then buy a copy.

Lineup

Lead Vocals – Stephen Pearcy
Guitars – Erik Ferentinos, Mark Zavon, Keri Kelli
Bass/Keyboard Bass – Matt Thorne
Drums – Rich Contadino
Production – Stephen Pearcy