Fury UK play a brand of hard rock that is functionally timeless, having its roots in the 80s styles of hard rock and heavy metal that continue to serve as the template for much of the genre today. There's a lot of the groove and catchiness of the better hard rock acts of the 80s and a distinct touch of early NWOBHM. Add on a healthy helping of memorable melodies, tuneful but not wimpy vocals in the pre-thrash vein, catchy choruses and tasty guitar work and, with the three songs on this CD single you pretty much have a formula for what mainstream, chart-active hard rocking music ought to be like, if the Nirwannabes and Fair Vedder Friends and their promoters hadn't kneaded modern rock into the vaguely turd-like shape it currently assumes.

The title track, 'Salvation' is probably the most middle-of-the-road track here. Mid-tempo rocking riffs, a chorus that just about teeters on the annoyingly smooth side of tuneful catchiness without falling over, some cool lead playing and just a touch of Maidenesque melody. It's all a bit well-mannered and in-between for me, but there's no denying I'd be a happy trooper if this was the kind of thing that you heard when you turned on the radiogramme or the televisual machine. 'Manslaughter' ups the ante a bit with a distinct touch of early NWOBHM pacing and attitude.Think 'Killers'-era Maiden and you won't be too far off, although Fury, being a three-piece, don't purvey the twin melodies deal. The album closer, 'Lost In Nowhere' manages to put across an epic vibe in a little under 7 minutes by means of canny pacing and tempo changes at just the right point in the proceedings. The classic metal influences are at the forefront here, much in the vein of 80s Black Sabbath when they got it right, or Dio's more epic solo tracks. The guitar work is just about ideal for the idiom, not so finger-flashy and technical as to sound anachronistically informed by the later waves of neoclassical shred, but plenty tuneful and agile.

Musically, it only remains to be said that the rhythm section, while never attempting to steal the limelight, or even giving the impression of wanting to, do a good, solid job of grounding all the good stuff vocalist/guitarist Chris Appleton puts out. Apparently  Fury UK have a couple of full-length albums out already, but this is the first outing by a new, revamped line-up put together to create a more focussed hard rock/heavy metal sound. I'd say the venture has been succesful. Some of this is a bit smooth for me, but I do appreciate that this is not a band that's about rawness and rough edges. They don't overdo the slick bit to wind up squeaky clean and utterly unexciting either. They kind of fall between the stools - a bit classic metal, a bit 80s rock - and should appeal to fans of both persuasions. This really ought to be what mainstream rock, if such a thing must exist, should sound like.

Year of Release: 2009
Label: Rocksector Records