From Massive Magazine

"We absolutely love Australia, we love it down there. The people are just so genuine and legit, the scenery’s amazing, you just couldn’t ask for better." Fuel’s guitarist/vocalist Brett Scallions, you might have gathered, likes Australia. In fact he loves it. A lot. But then it’s not surprising when you consider that the Pennsylvanian quartet have enjoyed amazing success down here. Their debut album Sunburn was a platinum smash, and singles like Shimmer, Sunburn and Jesus or a Gun occupied more than their fair share of time in the charts. This platinum success was recently replicated in the US, with the album nudging the one million sales mark after two years solid touring.

"It’s like any musicians' dream, and then when it happens it’s like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe it actually happened," buzzes Brett. "I have yet to get one for my wall though, they still haven’t got me my platinum record yet. I think the record company’s just saying it to make us feel good. They’re sitting there going, "Okay whatever, you guys are platinum now. Now go away!"

The success of Sunburn has paved the way nicely for their follow-up album, Something like Human. Having spent the first two months of the year whittling down 50 songs into the 12 that comprise album number two, the band headed straight for the hustle and bustle of New York to commit them to tape. The end result is a more aggressive effort than their debut, a reflection, says Brett, of the city in which they recorded, but one that contains all the elements that made Sunburn such a success. Namely, it’s full of big rocking songs with huge hooks (Last Time), while not ignoring the lighter fare that proved so popular on Sunburn (Bad Day and first single Hemorrhage (In My Hands).

"The last album was like a science experiment for us compared to the way this one is," says Brett. "I think with this one we really honed our craft so much more and we’ve locked together as a unified unit so much more. We really had a better sense of what direction we wanted to go in, and between the first record and this record it's like Yin and Yang. I think this album is much more aggressive for sure, it’s a very guitar driven record, and I think it’s going to be a nice punch in the head."

Of course when you have a single as popular as Shimmer, the temptation must be to try and replicate its success by writing Shimmer Part II. It nothing else, it’s a sure way to avoiding the ominous sophomore slump that strikes so many bands. Not so, says Brett.

"No, I don’t think that we went in saying we need to find something that’s going to top Shimmer. Sure, you want to get a song out there that everyone’s going to be able to connect with and be that huge hit and everything, but we just went in with own hearts and minds and said, ‘Okay, what do we like? What feels good to us? Let’s get some good songs and let’s be true to ourselves and also take ourselves to that next level.’ And I think we’ve done that."

With the release of Something Like Human looming, Brett’s thoughts are naturally turning to the road, something they’ve become more than familiar with over the past few years. While you can sense his excitement at the prospect of playing live again, it’s possible that the band’s roadies aren’t quite as pleased.

"There were a lot of crazy times touring on that last record; we were out there for a long time; there were a lot of parties," chuckles Brett. "Waking up in the middle of the night and peeing on your guitar tech’s a fun thing, that’s for sure! I’m sure he didn’t enjoy it though."

Of course touring isn’t all about having fun and, er, urinating on those that look after your equipment. The physical and mental toll it takes can be huge. "On the tail end of the tour we were there in Australia and I was physically shot, my voice was just wasted and needed some time off," winces Brett. "And then after that they decided to fly us off to New Zealand before we came back home for a day or two of press, and we were just mentally and physically fried. It was like pulling teeth trying to get some type of response during the interviews; we were just vegetables. I came off the tour and I’d had no sleep, hadn’t been eating or anything, and I came home and people were like, ‘Brett you look like shit man."

Hopefully at the end of the next tour he’ll at least look something like human.

Album Review

A sure-fire crowd pleaser with a more aggressive edge.

When Nirvana released Nevermind in 1991, they singlehandedly revolutionised the music scene with one gloriously powerful blow. Here was a band, and an album, that spoke directly to Generation X, that understood them, and that communicated their feelings in a way they never could. For a while there, the fake plastic sheen of the ‘80s music scene was traded in for the grungier ethic of no bullshit honesty. Somewhere in the mid-‘90s though, the raw essence of grunge became sanitised and diluted, and a new genre was born. Called post-grunge, it harboured some of its musical parent’s main ingredients – downtuned guitars, angst-ridden lyrics, soft verses followed by loud choruses – but was carried off with a slick commercial edge that appealed more to mainstream tastes. Think Creed, think The Nixons, think Days of the New. But don’t, whatever you do, forget Fuel.

The Pennsylvanian quartet burst onto the scene with their platinum selling 1998 debut album Sunburn, a perfect blend of guitar driven angst rock (Jesus or a Gun, Bittersweet) and slick commercial ballads (Shimmer, Sunburn). Now they’re back for a second shot at the charts, and doing their best to ward off the dreaded sophomore slump. "I’m not nervous, I’m more excited," declares vocalist Brett Scallions of the challenge, "I can’t wait to get it out there and see what people think about it." To be honest, his lack of concern is warranted. If people liked Sunburn, they’re going to love Something like Human.

As Mr Scallions proudly claims elsewhere in this issue, Something like Human is a more aggressive album musically than its predecessor. In parts, at least. Tracks like Last Time, Scar and Down thunder along with guitars set to stun and Scallions’ vocal rasp pushed to the max, while a suitably huge production ensures that your speakers will be handsomely punished. But to claim that this is simply an exercise in testosterone fuelled guitar rock would be misleading.

First single Hemorrhage (In My Hands) is a mid-paced ballad-like track with a huge chorus and rousing climax, while Easy sounds like one of the mellower moments on Stone Temple Pilots’ Purple album. Innocent and Slow also weigh in on the lighter end of the scale, and each is sure to appeal to those who fell in love with Shimmer.

If you were hoping that Fuel would grow and take a few risks with album number two, you’ll be disappointed with Something Like Human. But while they could easily be criticised for taking the safe route, they’ve at least taken the blueprint that made Sunburn so popular and improved it, and come up with a collection of songs that are on the whole superior to those on their debut. Platinum album number two on the way then.