Sound And Fury

This must be the year for AC/DC-inspired hard rock albums. Earlier in 2008 Australia's AIRBOURNE released (in North America) the raucous, booze-soaked rock 'n' roll fire of "Runnin' Wild". Now comes Toronto quintet SOUND AND FURY with its self-titled debut, another quality batch of ass kickin' tunes with sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll as central themes and Angus/Malcolm Young guitar style/tone and the kind of hot, bluesy licks heard on albums like 1978's "Powerage".

Odds are you've already gotten the gist of SOUND AND FURY's offering to the rock-hungry masses. You will indeed hear a great deal of AC/DC power rocking, which leans more to the Bon Scott side of the line, right down to the nasty riffs and craggy solos. Hell, parts of the relatively slower paced burn of "Night of the Ghouls" made me think of "Sin City".

The difference with SOUND AND FURY is the infusion of a glam and punk rock sleaze factor, primarily the result of vocalist Luke Metcalf's snotty, yet soulful, vocal style. Listen to Metcalf's opening salvo on "Runaway Love" (an album highlight) of "Hello dad, hello mom, I make your daughter go off like a bomb" and you will soon realize that sociopolitical commentary is not on the front man's list of lyrical priorities. But hey, the guy is talking it like he walked it, having been kicked out of three different high schools, lived on the street, and squatted with street punk kids.

The fact of the matter is that there is a dearth of bands capable of making this kind of quality, high energy hard rock album with big guitars and even bigger hooks. Even those songs that don't work quite as well, mainly because the cheese factor begins to wear thin (e.g. "High School Hotbox" and "Bad Touch"), the results are still more than acceptable. Besides, diamonds like the slamming "18" and the hooky "Teenage Rampage" more than make up for it. Get soused, crank up the volume, and let it all hang out; that's what SOUND AND FURY is all about (rhyming unintentional). - Blabbermouth.net/Scott Alisoglu

Toronto, ON’s Sound And Fury are straight up whiskey drinking, fire breathing rock n' roll. Drinking from the rock goblet of AC/DC, the Ramones and Misfits, Sound And Fury take a decidedly retro sound and
give it new life on their self-titled debut. Singer Luke Metcalf drives the music with a rock swagger that has been missing from the scene since the days of Motley Crue, while Guitarists GRIFFIN and DAZ flex their muscled fretwork with a couple Angus Young inspired solos that will make you wonder what happened to the lost art of the guitar solo. Not since Toronto's Kill Cheerleader released their totally underrated debut "All Hail" has a band from the Great White North rocked this hard. Indie rock is lame, Emo is for sissies and 9 out 10 songs being playing on your rock radio station just plain suck. Thank god there are bands like Sound & Fury to inject some flavor into an otherwise bland music scene. Bottom Line: Sound and Fury channel the thunder of the rock gods on a debut so
impressive it will leave you with hangover. - Loudside.com/Phil Winslade

Get ready for in-your-face, old-school punk at its newest and finest. Classic punk rock, made popular by bands like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones in the 70s and 80s, is alive and well in Toronto, Canada, and embodied in a new, young band called Sound and Fury.
The five-piece ensemble plays it hard and loud with audible lyrics (no gravel-gargling monsters here) and enjoyable rock music spiced up with a speedy punk beat. Song themes are a mixture of teen rebellion, bad girls and youthful fantasy presented in punk party fashion. Their self-titled debut album, “Sound and Fury” (Rebel Youth Records) was released in stores nationwide June 24.
Front man Luke Metcalf’s voice has a punk edge with high-end inflections similar to those of The Toadies’ singer Todd Lewis and Jack Russell of Great White. Backed up by spirited choruses, Metcalf belts out self-written tunes with plenty of gusto. Drummer Chris Avalos keeps a steady, step-quick tempo under the string work of rhythm guitarist Darryl “Daz” Coppins and bassist John Kerns. The lead guitarist, identified only as “Griffin,” plays incredible riffs for the songs. A distinctly metal sound resonates from Griffin’s axe as he mixes high-note vibratos, bends and thick power chords with speed, agility and accuracy.

The first track on the CD is “School’s Out,” a great opener and sample of the band’s music. You get a taste of Griffin’s guitar prowess and a healthy dose of Metcalf’s singing style surrounded by tremendous, classic punk gang vocals in the background.

The rhythm is fast and infectious –– toes tap involuntarily. The vocal pattern is a hat tip to AC/DC’s “Beatin Around the Bush,” but that’s where the similarity ends. The lyrics are indicative of untamed youth ready for summer: “Watch the clock tic-ticking down/Ah the kids all start to act like clowns/Class is done for another year/Watch the kids all disappear/Party in the park tonight/And we know how to do it right/Livin’ fast, and livin’ free/Underneath the tattooed trees/So let the good times roll, we’ve got no self control, it’s only just begun, we are the wild ones/Schools out, oh yeah! Schools out, oh yeah!”

“Teenage Rampage” is about a rebellious punk girl who loves rock music and hates authority. Metcalf’s fierce, defiant vocals and back up chorus make this song sound like something the Sex Pistols would have written. A snappy beat and quick guitar licks give the song punk power, and the lyrical hook stays in your head long after the song is over: “She’s on a 12-gauge, teenage, rock-n-roll rampage!”

The song “18” is a rough-and-tumble tune about knowing it all at the ripe old age of 18. Out with the old ways and in with the new is the basic message of the song, but it is delivered abruptly –– with a good, old-fashioned, punk attitude about those darn grown ups getting in the way of a good time and yacking about boring things: “Hear them teach, hear them preach, about life and death/But I got something, I got something to say, save your breath/I’m so sick of hearing it/18, and this is my world now/18, so take your final bow/18, you better listen well/Stay out of my way or I’ll send you to hell…”

The song was deemed good enough by the band and record label to be the first single and video release. In the “18” video, you get a look at the quintet punksters in all their energetic glory. Griffin sports wild, spiraling locks while Kerns’s head sprouts a spiky Mohawk. The stick-twirling Avalos plays off the antics of drum-kit-jumping Coppins, and all the while a shirtless, tattooed Metcalf vocalizes under a stunning black derby hat.

Sound and Fury is a punk party band and the CD a great summer pick for punk lovers. The music is devoid of over-processed effects and rich with raw, burly music and simple, fun lyrics. Some would say the band breathes new life into the punk scene –– I say it shoves it down its throat, which is a lot more punk.

Visit the Internet for tour dates and information about Sound and Fury. - The Guardian U.S. Army Newspaper

Sound and Fury (Rebel Youth)
This is one of the nastiest, greasiest, most excellent rock & roll records I’ve heard in years, certainly one of the best of this decade.

The brainchild of front man Luke Metcalf, S & F is old school metal, something akin to AC/DC or Rhino Bucket meets Iggy & The Stooges- a more recent comparison might be the first Jet album.
Loaded with snotty attitude and groove, it’s hard to believe this is their first album.Metcalf was kicked out of three high schools before being thrown out of his own house, managing to drift from T.O. down to California and even Arizona, living in a car with a buddy and his buddy’s dad- essentially living on the street.

Not many of us can even imagine what that would be like, but Luke has taken the raw nerve, adrenaline and desperation of that existence and channeled into these songs.Metcalf eventually found his way back to Toronto, where he got down to business with his old drum set, a bass guitar, rhythm guitar, and an old Fostex reel-to-reel 8-track a buddy had lent him. “It’s no exaggeration that I spent a solid year in the basement, at least ten hours a day every day, writing songs and recording the tracks, playing all the instruments.”

At the end of that year, he’d finished rough demos for 45 songs. Unable to play the guitar solos him self Metcalf called on Griffin do the leads. Liking what the guitarist was able to do, he suggested they put a band together. Rounded out by rhythm guitarist Daz (Metcalf is the singer), bassist John kerns (ex- Age of Electric) and drummer Chris Avalos, Sound And Fury were born.
“Our music is ferocious and dirty and nasty and wild!” says the singer. “I wanna party with the kids who live for rock & roll- no bulls**t, down ‘n dirty, ferocious rock & roll. People who really sincerely live for the music and don’t give a s**t about anything else.”
In a just universe, “Sound And Fury” would be THE rock soundtrack of the summer

KEY CUTS: “High School Hot Box”, “Can’t Get Enough”, “School’s Out”, “Supercharged - Rossland Radio Group in Western Canada

"This debut album from Sound & Fury shatters the mold of 21st Century hard rock releases." - Hit Parader Magazine/Andy Secher

"No bullshit these guys rock!!!!! think the ramones meets ac/dc meets circus of power + you've got sound and fury!!!! this is real rock poseurs need not apply!!!! nuff said!!!!" - WRBA Arrow 95.9 Panama City, FL/Ron Rapp

Late '70s punk, hard rock and heavy metal come together on Canadian outfit Sound And Fury's debut album, a raucous collection of swaggering anthems for those who missed those glory days the first time around, or for those who want to relive them. A potent mix of AC/DC and The Sex Pistols with a bit of Motorhead thrown in, Sound And Fury deliver their hybrid mix with conviction and energy on tracks such as "Teenage Rampage," "Bad Touch," "High School Hotbox," and "The Stranger," all featuring plenty of headbanging riffs, blasting solos and infectious rhythms, along with the kind of lyrics extolling the virtues of sex, drugs and rock n' roll that would make Bon Scott proud. Make no mistake, this is hard rock designed specifically for partying, and taken for that purpose does exactly what it's supposed to -- get your head shakin' and fist pumpin' while putting the fun back into rock n' roll. Crank it up!
- Neal Woodall - Detritus/Yahoo - Detritus-Yahoo/Neal Woodall

"Sound and Fury play it and say it like it is, living life to the limit and rocking balls out with no regrets. If your rock and roll has lost the bloody recklessness and visceral edge of yesterday's guitar heroes, this Toronto 5-piece plays rock the way it was meant to be played. The music combines iconoclastic AC/DC thunder, Misfits brooding, the raw impetuousness of the Pistols and the charismatic anthemic song styling's of the Ramones. Sound and Fury chugs mad punishing guitars and bashes drum tubs unabashedly and unapologetically while memorable guitar riffs battle spiralling the screaming lead guitar. The unrelenting 4/4 rhythm holds the pounding beat down all while singer Luke Metcalf rips out his beating heart and chucks it down with pride, anger and a tattooed sneer. Here's another sick Canadian band touring the world and pissing out their territory like a pack of wolves." - PunkTV.ca/Dixon Christie

"If AC/DC (Bon Scott era) and the Sex Pistols got into bar room brawl it would probably sound something like, the hard hitting debut release from Sound and Fury. The band's self-titled debut explodes through your speakers like a sonic boom from moment your press play! Hands down one of the best rock bands to break onto the music scene. Resistance is futile, SOUND AND FURY ARE HERE TO ROCK YOU AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT! You have been warned." - All Access Magazine/The Atomic Chaser