Fight – A Small Deadly Space – Review

Fight

A Small Deadly Space (Epic)
by Paul Lee

Like a born-again zealot in the unholy church of thrash, Rob Halford and his fiery cohorts have returned. Fight spew forth more caustic sounds with their second release, A Small Deadly Space (Epic). Instead of exorcising his demons in the world of rich and bloated bastiches of rock, Rob has found new anguish and anger to release, and some skilled fiends to help him do it.

With Fight, it’s like someone injected testosterone and steroids into Halford’s veins and gave him back ten more years of youth. Pounding, moshing, fury is the dish o’ choice here with A Small Deadly Space. This is sonic fuel suitable for breaking some bones. It seems that after being exposed to bands like Pantera and Metallica, Halford and Fight have forged their own brutality. No matter how forceful the throats of Hetfield and Anselmo are, Halford’s vocals still rule the realms of the Metal Gods even after more than 20 years of banshee wailing. …Deadly Space is a disc that’s visited by the same sorts of demons that torment and inspire most of the modern thrashers. With a bounty of power chords and searing solos, Fight makes hits with moves that’ve been used before. Fight just don’t have the sort of originality that slams your skull like the superpowers. For the jaded of you lot, it’s not likely that this album will make you shudder.

But, damn it all to hell, I’m a liquid-metal-in-the-blood Priest fan and Halford’s is still a major metal deity in my book. No one can tread in the Hellion’s path. He may have lost those hip spikes and a few pounds of leather, but he’s still a force mightier than all. He’s also gotten some talented, if somewhat typical, mosh monsters to back him up. Sure, they’re known as Fight, but they’ll always be known as the band with the man.