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Fastway

Eat Dog Eat

Review by Gary Hill

Hard edged bluesy rock really is the anthemic sound of the 1970s in a lot of ways. That, mixed with a bit more of a raw metal texture is what you’ll get on this disc. It’s classy and catchy and really rocks. This is not quite heavy metal in some ways, but it’s also more metal than just rock. Whatever you call it, though, this is a strong CD.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2012  Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Deliver Me

There’s definitely a Led Zeppelin vibe to this smoking hot metal tune. It’s melodic, but also crunchy. There’s a cool groove section mid-track that’s quite tasty and it leads to a great guitar solo section.

Fade Out
This one’s even more melodic than the previous tune. I’m not even sure I’d call this metal, but rather more melodic hard rock with some crunch. The Zep element is certainly gone here. This is just a good solid rocker that doesn’t really seemed tied to the sound of anyone in particular, except Fastway.
Leave the Light On
The main riff that drives this is classic, perhaps a bit like AC/DC or Krokus. The sounds on the pre-chorus, though, elevate this more in the vein of Zeppelin. Still, it’s quite original and perhaps less metal than classic hard rocking. The guitar solo is particularly noteworthy.
Loving Fool
Combining nearly equal parts of heavy metal and classic hard rock, this thing is a real highlight of the set. It’s accessible and yet quite potent at the same time.
Dead and Gone
This is almost like two songs. There’s an opening section that’s as long as a lot of songs that’s basically a balladic cut set in a real blues type motif. It rocks out from there to something like a cross between Zeppelin and Nazareth. This is good, no frills hard rock that just plain works well. It turns more towards metal later, but without really rethinking the song, just adding some power to the mix.
Sick as a Dog
Here’s an extremely cool cut. The main riff feels a bit like Motorhead, of course, that’s an appropriate comparison. The progression is actually pretty dynamic and diverse, though, and this is really some cool melodic metal with a lot of classic rock in the mix. I like this tune a lot. It might not be the one that grabs you right out of the gate, but it’s certainly one of the highlights of the disc.
Freedom Song
“Freedom Song” really shows what Fastway does best. It’s metal, but it’s so firmly tied to a classic rock groove that it could fit in that category, too. Whatever you call it, though, it’s accessible and extremely strong.
Who Do You Believe
Alternating between some more metallic riffing and some classic rock, this is another killer tune. There are some great wah sounding guitar bits on this piece and it’s really another winner on a disc with no weak tunes. The awesome guitar solo combines a Jimi Hendrix kind of sound with something like Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold.” All you can say is, “wow, that’s tasty.”
Love I Need
In some ways this cut reminds me of early Aerosmith. Still, there’s definitely more of that Zeppelin vibe here. It’s got an almost stoner metal element to it, too. This is another killer cut, but that just seems like the norm by this point.
On and On
There’s no question this qualifies as heavy metal, but what a killer groove it has. The chorus is catchy and this is one of the highlights. It’s got a really rubbery riff on parts of the track.
Only If You Want It
This classic rock groove has enough metal in the mix to keep it qualified under that genre. It’s a good tune (they all are) but it’s possibly the weakest of the bunch. That makes it not the best choice to close the set. Still, the staccato section that closes it is a nice touch.          
 
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