The Fully Down – no fate…but what we make for ourselves

no fate… is simply overflowing with energy and a complete disregard for any rock’n’roll guidelines.

no fate… is simply overflowing with energy and a complete disregard for any rock’n’roll guidelines.

 

OK, stop chatting amongst yourselves and pay attention. I want you all to make a nice, long, straight line against the wall. Come on now, I haven’t got all day.

 

It’s your own time you’re wasting.

 

There, finally. Well done. Now then, see this white line down the middle of the room? (Come on, go with me here) Yes that one. Right. I’m going to ask you a series of questions and I want you to answer me truthfully.

 

Ok, first question. How many of you like rock music? If you do like rock music I want you to step over to the right hand side of the room. If you don’t like rock music move to the left.

 

There, now then, let’s break this down a little more. How many of you like Heavy Metal? If you do, make sure you’re on the right hand side of the room, if not, go to the left.

 

Now you may find yourself criss crossing the line every now and again, but don’t worry about that, just pay attention.

 

So, Heavy Metal fans on the right, the rest of you on the left. Good. Now, can the Heavy Metal fans stay where you are for a moment? You can? Good, I thought you could manage that. As for the rest of you, how many of you like Punk Rock? If you do step to the right.

 

Of those of you who just stepped to the right, stay to the right if you like American Punk bands like Offspring and Green Day? Ok, I see we lost some of you there.

 

Right, let’s take a look at what we have here on the right hand side of the room. Green Day loving punk fans and Heavy Metal lovers. Right, Heavy Metal lovers, we need to narrow you guys and gals down again. Now then, Heavy Metal as a genre covers a lot of bands, but how many of you are Metallica fans? That includes new and old material. Ok, I see a few of you are moving away. Now then, Metallica fans, here’s your choice. Choose your favourite period, before or after the Black album? If it’s before, stay here on the right hand side of the room, the rest of you join the crowd over on the other side.

 

Now then, that’s narrowed the field somewhat, but we’re not finished yet. What we have left is a bunch of people, mainly snowboard enthusiasts and faded denim wearing head bangers by the looks of things, that would agree to being fans of Dookie and And Justice For All, am I correct? Yes. All agreed? Good.

 

Right, here we go. How many of you fancy listening to an album that sounds like a cross between Dookie and And Justice For All? If you do, stay here, if not go to the other side.

 

GET BACK HERE!!!!

 

Bugger, you were all going to go and stand on the left again and that leaves me with a problem. You see, I’ve got to review this album by The Fully Down, entitled "no fate…but what we make for ourselves," (they don’t use capital letters so neither shall I) and I’m sure it’s going to be pretty hard to keep your interest when I tell you that it sounds like a cross between Green Day and Metallica. In particular, a cross between Dookie and Justice For All.

  

I’m a fan of Dookie, or at least I was when I was 18 and I was a fan of And Justice For All back then too, but then I don’t listen to Dookie’s happy go lucky, watered down punk sound much any more and I just can’t bare to sit through And Justice For All because every song lasts for about a fortnight. But I can respect them and I do still think that they are both very good albums. True, I never imagined that a mix between the two would sound any good. In truth, it’s a musical marriage that I’d never thought of at all, never mind one that would interest me, but haven given this bunch of Ottawan musicians a chance I have to say that I’m rather impressed.

 

Quite how they managed it is a bit of a mystery, but I think it’s because no fate… (as this album shall be abbreviated from now on) manages to take the impressive musicianship and blistering time and tempo changes of Metallica’s early material and applies it to that short, snappy, let’s not hang about and bore people attitude that Green Day have. It’s a heady brew indeed.

 

Gab Bouchard is a typical skate punk band type of singer. In other words, his vocal range is limited and he sounds about 14, but he does his job well enough. It’s the band that make the difference though, these guys can really play! And boy do they mix things up a bit! The title track for instance, whilst only lasting three minutes and 11 seconds, contains about 370 tempo changes, four hundred and twenty five drum fills and at least 17 stop-start moments. It’s outstanding.

 

The rest of no fate… is just as entertaining. Every song is structured in such an over-elaborate, ridiculously confident and ambitious manner that I can’t help but applaud them. There’s only eight tracks, but The Fully Down fit more ideas into them than about ten regular Metal or Punk albums. no fate… is simply overflowing with energy and a complete disregard for any rock’n’roll guidelines.

 

I don’t know how it works? But it works wonders. It shouldn’t work, it really shouldn’t but this is one of the rare occasions where you should ignore your instincts and give a record a chance. It just goes to show that you shouldn’t judge a band by their influences, or who a reviewer says they sound like. Step across the white line again and give these guys a second chance. You won’t regret it.

 

Words : Damian Leslie