Australian metalcore band Feed Her to the Sharks are releasing their debut album fresh from signing with Victory Records. Fortitude is the very definition of a hybrid album, blending throat-ripping growls with clean, polished vocals; heavy metal riffs with melodic tunes; and guitar-driven tracks with electronic touches.
There is an undeniable energy that pulses throughout Fortitude. With the furious, unrelenting speed of ‘Burn the Traitor’ and all needs of the metalcore genre being fulfilled with ‘Fear of Failure’, there isn’t much more that a young metal fan could ask for. The harsh yet rhythmic riffs in ‘Shadow of Myself’ and smooth guitar solo in ‘Heart of Stone’ show impressive skill, while ‘Terrorist’ shows the strength of both the clean and unclean vocals of Feed Her to the Sharks.
You don’t have to be a metalcore fan to appreciate the talent in this band, from almost faultless vocals to ballsy instrumentals; however, that’s nothing we haven’t heard before and that alone won’t be enough to keep this band on top. Arguably the best quality of Feed Her to the Sharks is the fresh modernity they inject into the metalcore genre. With the electronic intro of ‘Walking on Glass’ and the crazy cacophony of sounds in ‘Badass’, Fortitude gives a breath of fresh air to metal. While they might not be the first band to experiment with these kinds of sounds, it’s rare to find a band that can stay strong in each aspect – vocal strength, musicality and originality. That’s what will keep Feed Her to the Sharks ahead of the game.
While it would be nice to hear a little more diversity between tracks, Fortitude is still a strong debut, especially in such a saturated genre. It’s got everything a metalcore fan would want without isolating those who might not be hardcore metal lovers and, because of this, it will reach out to an audience wider than others in the field could only dream of achieving.
