Angels & Devils | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 7, 2007 | |||
Recorded | Chop Shop Studios Hollywood, California, from August until November 2006 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, post-grunge | |||
Length | 46:00 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer | Scott Humphrey, Carl Bell | |||
Fuel chronology | ||||
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Singles from Angels & Devils | ||||
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Angels & Devils is the fourth studio album by American rock band Fuel. Released on August 7, 2007, it was their first studio effort since 2003's Natural Selection and was the last Fuel album to feature original songwriter/guitarist Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie. It was also Fuel's only studio album to feature new vocalist Toryn Green, and their final album for Epic Records. With a new singer, the album also introduced a new Fuel logo.
Former Godsmack drummer Tommy Stewart was announced as the band's new drummer but was unable to perform on the album due to other commitments so Josh Freese and Tommy Lee performed drums in his place. [1] [2]
Following the Natural Selection album and tour, longtime drummer Kevin Miller was dismissed from the group in 2004. [3] In 2006 lead singer/guitarist Brett Scallions left the group as well, citing burnout and a lack of passion [4]
After Scallions' departure from the group was announced, rumors began to rise that American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry might be in line to replace Scallions as Fuel's frontman. [5] [6] Daughtry had performed a version of the band's 2000 Top 40 hit, "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" in one of his performances on the show and Bell has stated that several conversations occurred between Daughtry and the band reflecting the possibility of him joining the group, "[Daughtry] was saying ‘Hey if I don’t make this American Idol thing, maybe there is something that both of us can work out.'" [4] Ultimately Daughtry would decline the opportunity to join the band, so Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie continued their search for a possible replacement for Scallions. Bell and Abercrombie felt there was a paucity of singers in the Los Angeles area, so they wound up allowing potential singers to send in their auditions through the internet. [4] After going through a large number of audition tapes that were sent in and auditioning other singers, Bell and Abercrombie chose Toryn Green as the band's new frontman. Green was chosen as he had the image, preparation, and knew the lyrics to the songs he was singing during the audition. [4] [7]
Bell spent more than two years writing material for Angels & Devils, drawing inspiration from the departure of former members Miller and Scallions as well as from his own relationship troubles. [8] Bell had most of the album written and demoed before Green joined the group. [2]
For the recording of the album, Fuel hired producer Scott Humphrey, who had previously worked with Rob Zombie and Mötley Crüe. Bell liked working and recording in Humphrey's studio, as Humphrey kept the instruments and amps miked up at all times, which allowed them to go back and change and/or add parts to songs that were recorded previously. [2] According to Bell, "Most studios, as soon as you do the drums they will tear down the drums... So with Scott’s setup, that alone adds a different level of what you can do with as far as the record goes and as far as production style goes." [2]
Angels & Devils is the first Fuel album where outside collaborators are credited in the songwriting.
The first single released off of the album was "Wasted Time," and was followed by "Gone" on October 23. [1] The video to "Wasted Time" was released on September 24, [1] there has been no mention about the possibility of a video being produced for "Gone."
On August 10, the band performed "Wasted Time" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno . [9]
WWE has used two songs off this album. "Gone" for their pay-per-view event Vengeance: Night of Champions , and "Leave the Memories Alone" for their tribute videos to the retiring wrestler Ric Flair.
The song "Again" was used in the previews for the fourth season of the TV series Prison Break .
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [10] |
LiveDaily | favorable [11] |
PopMatters | [12] |
Ultimate Guitar | (7.3/10) [13] |
The album debuted at #42 on the Billboard 200, selling about 15,000 copies in its first week. [14] The album slid down the charts quickly after its debut, falling to #98 the second week, and #148 the week after, [15] and has failed to sell as well as previous Fuel albums have.
While not many significant publications reviewed the album, critical response to Angels & Devils was largely marginal to negative. Many reviews echoed that the end result was solid but bland. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described the album as having decreased Fuel's heaviness, brightened up their production, and become more "generic" in having such a precise vocalist. He lamented, "The end result is pleasant but forgettable, something no rock band should be."
PopMatters' Andrew Blackie described the album as "an ultimately frustrating listen, awash in exaggerated dynamics and production but with no soul, one hook-filled standout sandwiched between horrible, corny, outdated post-grunge." In addition to criticizing the overly depressing and pessimistic lyrics, Blackie considered songwriter Carl Bell "a man afraid to commit and trust." And while noting that some of Fuel's hallmarks are still intact, he regarded Angels & Devils "merely a solid rock album, when it really had the potential to be great."
The album did, however, receive a heavily positive response from LiveDaily's Paul Gargano who claimed that it "succeeds because it doesn't try to be anything more than Fuel has ever been." Regarding vocalist Toryn Green, he noted the album "suffers none musically. . . In fact, in terms of sheer vocal ability, Fuel might be better served by the previously-unheard-of frontman." Gargano favorably highlighted numerous songs and repeatedly noted how Fuel's "middle-of-the-road arena rock" serves the band well.
All tracks are written by Carl Bell, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Gone" | 3:55 | |
2. | "I Should Have Told You" | Bell, Marti Frederiksen | 3:52 |
3. | "Forever" | 3:42 | |
4. | "Wasted Time" (G-Mix) | 4:11 | |
5. | "Leave the Memories Alone" | 3:57 | |
6. | "Mess" | 0:13 | |
7. | "Not This Time" | 3:32 | |
8. | "Scars in the Making" | Bell, Keith Wallen | 3:25 |
9. | "Hangin Round" | 3:48 | |
10. | "Again" | 3:57 | |
11. | "Halos of the Son" | Jeff Abercrombie, Ryan Giles, Toryn Green | 3:29 |
12. | "Angels Take a Soul" | 3:47 | |
13. | "Wasted Time" (S-Mix) | 4:16 | |
Total length: | 46:00 |
No. | Title | Length |
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14. | "Wasted Time" (Live Acoustic) | 4:22 |
Total length: | 50:22 |
No. | Title | Length |
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14. | "Shimmer" (Live Acoustic) | 3:23 |
15. | "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" (Live Acoustic) | 3:56 |
16. | "Falls On Me" (Live Acoustic) | 4:11 |
17. | "Forever" (Live Acoustic) | 3:43 |
Total length: | 61:13 |
Fuel is an American rock band formed in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, by guitarist-songwriter Carl Bell in 1989. They are known for their hit songs "Shimmer" from the album Sunburn (1998), "Hemorrhage " and "Bad Day" from the album Something Like Human (2000), as well as "Falls on Me" from the album Natural Selection (2003). In addition, the band has had multiple videos in heavy rotation on MTV, numerous live network TV performances in the US, Canada, and Australia, and songs on film soundtracks such as Scream 3, Daredevil, Godzilla, and A Walk to Remember. The album Sunburn is certified platinum by the RIAA, and the album Something Like Human is certified double-platinum.
Sunburn is the full-length debut album by the band Fuel released in 1998. It was produced by Steven Haigler. The songs "Shimmer", "Jesus or a Gun", and "Bittersweet" were released as singles. "Shimmer" peaked at #42 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Something Like Human is the second album by American rock band Fuel, released on September 19, 2000, by Epic Records. Something Like Human reached number 17 on the Billboard 200, and was preceded by their only top 40 hit: "Hemorrhage ". The single reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains their most commercially successful song to date. The album's title comes from the lyric heard in its sixth track, "Prove".
Tommy Stewart is an American drummer, currently for the rock band Lo-Pro. He is probably best known for his stint with the band Godsmack. He has also toured and recorded with a number of other bands including Detroit based metal band Halloween, glam rock band Lillian Axe, and alternative rock bands Fuel and Everclear.
Natural Selection is the third album by American rock band Fuel, released on September 23, 2003, by Epic Records.
Brett Allen Scallions is an American singer. He is best known for being the original lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the alternative rock band Fuel from 1993 to 2006 and then from 2010 to 2020. During that time, the band released four major-label albums including the double platinum Something Like Human. His initial stint with the band ended in February 2006. Scallions has been ranked in the Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists by Hit Parader (#50).
Joseph William Castillo is an American musician. He is best known for being the drummer of the hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age from 2002 to 2012. He is currently a member of Circle Jerks, The Bronx, DOOM Regulator and Zakk Sabbath and Sugartooth, with former bands including Danzig, Wasted Youth, California Breed, Zilch, and Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts.
Christopher Adam Daughtry is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the lead vocalist and a guitarist for the rock band Daughtry, which he formed after placing fourth on the fifth season of American Idol. Released by RCA Records, Daughtry's self-titled debut album became the fastest selling debut rock album in Nielsen SoundScan history, selling more than one million copies within five weeks of release. The album was recorded before the band was officially formed, making him the only official member present on the album.
"Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" is a song by American rock band Fuel. It was released in September 2000 as the lead single from their second studio album, "Something Like Human". It spent 12 weeks at number 1 on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart, and a total of 40 weeks on the survey; in 2023, Billboard ranked "Hemorrhage" as the 12th largest hit in the chart's history. It also hit number two on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. To date, it is Fuel's highest charting single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 30. It also peaked number 17 on the Adult Top 40 chart and number 22 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.
Toryn Green is an American rock singer and actor. He is the former vocalist for hard rock band Fuel, as well as for Emphatic, and For The Taking. He also was the touring lead vocalist for the band Apocalyptica and performed in both of its 2008 US Worlds Collide Tours.
"Shimmer" is a song by American alternative rock group Fuel. It was released in May 1996 as part of their third EP Porcelain and later on as lead single from their debut album Sunburn.
Small the Joy is an extended play by the alternative rock band that would evolve into the group Fuel. The cassette was manufactured and printed by Klarity Kassette, Inc. The self-produced/made cassette tape was only issued in a very small limited number.
Fuel is the EP of the band Fuel. The EP generally contains the same material as the band’s previous EP.
Porcelain is Fuel's third EP. The self-released compact disc sold over 5,000 copies. It was recorded, mixed and produced by Randy Lane and Carl Bell.
"Wasted Time" is a song by Fuel and the lead single from their fourth studio album Angels & Devils, released on June 19, 2007. Written by guitarist Carl Bell, it is the first single by the band to feature new lead singer Toryn Green. New Fuel drummer Tommy Stewart was unable to perform on the record as he had other obligations to fulfill, so longtime Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee performed drums on the track.
Carl William Bell is an American songwriter, record producer, arranger, engineer, and mixer. He founded the multi-platinum selling hard rock band Fuel in 1989, serving as the principal lyricist, lead guitarist, and record producer for the band during its inception and peak commercial success. He has written singles such as "Shimmer", "Hemorrhage ", and "Bad Day" as well as many other songs. He also co-produced all Fuel records including the Grammy nominated Natural Selection (2003). Although often a backing vocalist for the band, Bell never performed as a lead singer until releasing his first solo project in 2017.
Puppet Strings is the fifth studio album by American rock band Fuel. Released March 4, 2014, it is their first and only studio effort since 2003's Natural Selection to feature original lead singer Brett Scallions and the only Fuel album not to feature original songwriter/guitarist, Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie. Additionally, no one who participated in the recording of Puppet Strings participated in the recording of Fuel's previous album Angels & Devils or the next album Anomaly.
"Innocent" is the second single released from Fuel's 2000 second studio album Something Like Human. The inspiration for songs lyrical content is not known.
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Another Life is the third and final full-length studio album by American hard rock band Emphatic, released October 22, 2013. A follow-up to their major label debut Damage by Atlantic, the album reached No. 8 on Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. It is the only Emphatic record released through Epochal Artists. It is also the only Emphatic album to feature lead singer Toryn Green.