Maximum Metal Rating Legend

The Furor - Advance Australia Warfare - 2005 - Prime Cuts Music

Track Listing1. Battleblast Advance 2. Atomic Triumph 3. Hellfire Massacre 4. Sacrilegious Rage 5. Hell 6. Storming Heaven 7. Covered in Blasphemy 8. Warcrowned 9. The Entrance 10. Clutches of the Abyss

Furor. n (fy r ôr , - r). ‘Violent anger; frenzy.’ An apt name for this Australian black/death troupe, whose primary objective appears to be complete aural annihilation. Drawing from both the tremolo assault of black metal and the varied, fill-laden drumming of death metal, The Furor, though only formed in 2002, are quickly rising to the forefront of Australia’s expanding metal scene.

The Furor’s second release, ‘Advance Australia Warfare’ (which puns off their home country’s national anthem) is the perfect candidate for such sought after adjectives as, ‘brutal’, ‘hellacious’, ‘whirlwind’, or any other number of other apocalyptical words their promoters would like to use. The album is more than an hour long, with four of the album’s ten tracks reaching the 7 minute mark. No sunny stroll in the park, this. Even for marquee bands a release this sizeable is difficult to successfully produce, but The Furor succeed, at least in part. Approximately half of this album is exciting and tempestuous, with riffs varied but consistent enough to avoid stagnation yet not stray too far from the ideological core.

Though mainly an up-tempo group, The Furor are not all frenzied fire and brimstone, and Disaster’s songwriting actually tends to be at its best during the album’s most variable tracks. The album’s closer, ‘Clutches of the Abyss’ (even featuring clean vocals, reinforcing the already strong similarity to Emperor’s ‘Anthems…’) and the entirety of the surprisingly mellow interlude, ‘Hell’, both demonstrate The Furor’s ability to lighten up at times.

This trait might serve them well in their later years if they plan to evolve beyond the somewhat derivative black/death style they pursue on ‘Advance Australia Warfare’. And, it is that derivative nature that ultimately holds The Furor back from high success. They are certainly technically skilled enough to compete with most any opponent, but there is simply too much material too similar to itself for an audience to digest pleasantly and in one attentive sitting. Had the album consisted of only 8 songs, or if it were only 45 minutes long, The Furor would be far more likely to keep their audience’s attention. As it is, ‘Advance Australia Warfare’ switches between engaging fury at its best, and simple background noise during its most pedestrian moments.

Disaster, who both drums and sings for the three-piece, has made it clear in interviews where his interests lie: fast, harsh, and (I quote) “fun” metal that people can get into and enjoy; overall, with ‘Advance Australia Fair’, he and his cohorts have succeeded, if one is willing to overlook a few flaws. Fans of Marduk, Naglfar, and similarly caffeinated blasters, take note.


--Etiam 07.05.06