The Heavy

I’m not sure I detect much fire or vengeance in this collection of soulful funk rock tracks but the Heavy heap earnest nostalgia on their ode to the ’70s with silky smooth style. The songwriting is too familiar to be memorable however, condemning Furious Fire to passing listen material. These groovy slow jams are inoffensive and unobtrusive, more suited to supermarket aisles than the dance floor. It’s a collage of musical Play-Doh diarrhoea: regurgitated R&B rock peppered with awkward hip-hop. Stylistically scattered, the album lurches from scene to scene. "Girl” straddles the line between parody and tribute, aping the Streets to a starling degree, while "In the Morning” could easily be mistaken for a Black Crowes track. Though it seems fun at first, this awkward unoriginality cripples the album’s impact. Ultimately, Great Vengeance and Furious Fire lacks the necessary musical or lyrical weight to be anywhere near as heavy as its creators want it to be.