Fury's 'Interceptor' - Album Review

It always feels good to talk about a new(ish) British metal band. There are plenty of them, of course, but the UK no longer feels like it is at the forefront metal scene - and that has been the case for many years at this point. It feels like from the 1960s to the early 1980s, what was coming out of the UK was essentially dictating the direction of rock and metal the world over - but since the end of the NWOBHM era that has not felt the case, particularly when it comes to heavy metal. The metal bands from the UK that have gained a significant amount of popularity in recent years include alternative and metal-adjacent bands like Bring Me the Horizon, Architects, and Sleep Token - whilst most traditional heavy metal from these shores tends to get overlooked. As such, I like to make the effort to cover such bands when I can - and today I will be looking at the West Midlands-based five-piece Fury. Whilst they can trace their history back to 2010, with only frontman Julian Jenkins left from those early days, the band seem to have largely solidified their line-up and activities in recent years - following an early period which was characterised by quite a few personnel changes. I saw the band at one of the first iterations of Bloodstock Open Air that I went to, back in either 2015 or 2016, and the current version of Fury looks quite different now. The band also seem to be much more active now than they did then. Perhaps I have just been paying more attention of late, so have noticed their activity more, but they always seem to be playing live - either on their own terms or opening up for a variety of established acts. I remember enjoying the band's Bloodstock set all those years ago, but I did not really start paying attention to them properly until I saw them last year opening for Firewind in London. I remember being interested to see how the band had progressed, but I end up being really impressed by their set that night - with the current line-up feeling more assured and tight than the early ones. I have still not really checked out their albums in a significant way, though. I have 2022's Born to Sin, which I have listened to a couple of times and enjoyed - but beyond that my knowledge of the band's work is limited. That is until now, that is, as on the strength of last year's set I decided to pre-order the band's fifth album Interceptor when it was announced earlier in the year. Interceptor is the band's first album since Born to Sin - and it is the first to see the band operating as a five-piece. Jenkins, long-time bassist Becky Baldwin, and long-time drummer Tom Fenn all return from the last album - but guitarist Tom Atkinson (Absolva; Vice) replaced Jake Elwell in 2023, and the year beforehand the band welcomed aboard vocalist Nyah Ifill as a permanent member. Ifill contributed backing vocals to the band's last two albums, and had toured with Fury before joining full-time - but her role in the band has increased significantly on this album, where she acts as a significant supporting vocalist throughout as well as taking the lead at times.

The vocal arrangements are a bit more interesting this time, then, but the line-up changes have not significantly altered Fury's melodic heavy metal sound. They are rooted in traditional metal but occasionally throw in some power metal, thrash metal, and even some bluesy classic rock influences - allowing for a heavy and hooky sound. This sound is on show immediately via the fast-paced and hard-hitting title track, which is one of the best cuts here. Following a tease of the song's main riff, over which a big guitar lead is laid, the song takes off at something of a gallop with barrelling riff forming the basis of what is to come - with another guitar lead adding some melody. Jenkins has a fairly smooth voice for traditional metal, but he has enough character about him to lead the line nicely - and some big gang vocals during parts of the verses add some punctation and power. Jenkins' voice is actually where some of the power metal influences can be heard - with his smoother delivery and hooky vocal melodies straight out of the European power metal scene, although there are a few moments where he does sound a little grittier overall. The chorus is one of the best here, too, with long-held backing vocal notes and a call-and-response approach which allows Jenkins and the rest of the band to sing together in a powerful manner. Fenn's driving double bass drumming during the chorus gives the song real power, too, whilst a later guitar solo sections sees Jenkins and Atkinson harmonising well together at times. The song gets the album off to a great start - and I am sure that it will be a live favourite going forward. What's It Gonna Be? is another strong cut, and it slows the pace down - going for a mid-paced groove from the off. The song's main riff, which resurfaces throughout, is a powerful and memorable one - and the song is notable in the fact that it introduces Ifill as a lead vocalist here for the first time. She harmonised well with Jenkins on the opening track, and was prominent in the gang vocals and chorus counterpoints - but here she leads the line throughout. She has a powerful voice and just goes for it here - with strong pop hooks and memorable vocal lines characterising the track. The groovy verses see her strutting her stuff in fine fashion - whilst the chorus sees a smoother approach. Her and Jenkins are actually quite similar in tone, even if she is maybe a touch more powerful, but there is enough difference to make later duets interesting. This approach characterises party anthem On the Town, though, which ups the pace again and injects a slightly sleazy approach without going over the top. Jenkins sings the first verse, whilst Ifill takes over for the second one - whilst the chorus is sung together. Fury have not gone for an overdone beauty and beast approach here, which is welcome. Instead the two vocalists just use their power to rock through the fast-paced track - with the chorus vocal harmonies benefitting from this overall approach. Musically the song is quite straight forward, with a 1980s riff driving everything - with vibes of plenty of hair metal bands on display here. A more traditional metal filter has been put on everything, though, with a closing guitar solo and plenty of wordless vocal melodies keeping the song moving.

Don't Lie to Me opens with some more wordless vocal melodies, which continue even when the rest of the band kick in. There is something bluesy and soulful about these melodies, and this is a vibe that somewhat continues throughout the track without ever dominating. This is still a hard-hitting metal song after all, but there are bluesy grooves throughout - with a strong bass presence and snaking, choppy verses which see Jenkins singing in a somewhat grittier manner, contrasting nicely with the soaring power of Ifill as she takes over for the pre-chorus. Whilst Jenkins is a smooth singer, he does feel a little gritty compared to Ifill, which helps the two singers to contrast each other nicely, but largely the two just power through with tight harmonies and big hooks - as is the case during the chorus here which sees the two sing together during another quite strutting, bluesy passage which recalls Whitesnake somewhat, despite the metallic guitar tones. In Pursuit of Destiny slows things down following four pretty hard-hitting tracks - as it opens with some percussive clean guitar melodies, over which sparse drumming adds a little bit of a groove. The track does become much fuller as it moves along, and it does start to rock out, but the quieter opening is welcome - with both Jenkins and Ifill trading subtle vocal lines in a gentler manner than is typical. Once the band gets going properly, though, they return to their usual power - and there are moments here which feel quite cinematic thanks to riffing which allows a lot of space for more wordless vocal melodies to shine. These wordless sections are quite lengthy and act as one of the main hooks here - whilst a guitar solo section later on is also quite lengthy to allow for a mix of controlled and shredded leads. The band sound a little different here, but the dynamic approach is welcome - and this feels like the sort of song they could not have done without Ifill. Can't Resist (Gimme What I Need) takes a little while to get going properly, but once another big riff kicks in there is another groove laid down - and this is another song which has some metallic Whitesnake vibes at times. The later chorus is more power metal in tone, with the heavy side of Amaranthe perhaps a touchstone here thanks to the vocal interplay, but the verses are full of slithering grooves. Ifill allows her bluesy side to shine here - and her verse vocals here are full of sultry power. As has been the case on many of the songs here, both her and Jenkins share the vocals - and there are some great call-and-response sections which see the two singing close together in a typical duet manner. An aching guitar solo set against a fast-paced drum groove later builds on this blues feel, despite the metallic filter, and the song lumbers with 1970s power as a result. Walk Away opens with some clean guitar melodies, which actually follow on from the previous song nicely. These are not light-sounding melodies, with each hit of the strings sounding powerful - but the vibe does change when Jenkins and Ifill start to sing, as the electric guitars drop away to leave acoustic guitar chords. The two sing together, harmonising constantly, against this acoustic backing - but it is not long before the opening guitar melodies come back in, alongside some percussion, and there is a bit of a Wanted Dead or Alive feel created. The chiming clean guitar adds a little bit of a cutting edge, and it is fitting when the drums crash in in a more meaningful way and a soaring guitar solo takes over. The song certainly follows many 1980s rock ballad clichés, but it does them well.

Following the ballad, the band ups the pace again with Look at Us Now - with driving double bass drumming keeping things moving from the off. There is a little of the band's thrash influence on show here, but the song remains very melodic throughout thanks to some hooky guitar lines and the big vocals of Jenkins. He tends to dominate here, although Ifill can certainly be heard in the harmonies and throughout the chorus - but the verses are largely all him. The verses also feel quite stripped back compared to the band's usual approach, too, with the drums and Baldwin's bass creating the main backing for Jenkins' fast-paced vocals. Harmony guitar leads are later used, Iron Maiden style, to create a melodic mid-section, with the bass again providing the grounding, whilst a strong chorus and a busy closing guitar solo keep the pace up. DTR returns to a slightly bluesy feel, with a high-octane John Sykes-esque riff driving the song. The slightly sleazy vibes of On the Town are returned to somewhat here, but the blues edge is greater this time - with Ifill pushing that side of her voice again, whilst Jenkins adopts a sleazier tone akin to some of the big hair metal singers of the 1980s. The two trade vocal lines during the verses, whilst the punchy chorus sees them singing together - with snappy riffing and punchy drumming creating some powerful accents to the chorus' anthemic approach. Gang vocals are utilised throughout the song, too, which adds some further power - whilst the guitar solo section is full of shredded firepower which is fitting given the song's overall vibe. The album then comes to a close with Undistilled, another slower track but one which feels a bit fuller from the start than Walk Away. It is the bluesiest song here, and there is even some Hammond organ utilised to really lean into such a sound, whilst bands like Bad Company and, again, Whitesnake are referenced here. Jenkins adds a bluesy edge to his voice here, which works quite well, but I do feel that Ifill would have likely been better taking the lead here - as her few cameos demonstrate. Despite this, though, the song still works well. More wordless vocal melodies provide some strong hooks, whilst an emotional guitar solo really builds on the song's overall vibe and takes things further. The song is a great ballad of the sort that is being attempted - and it works well as an album closer despite it being quite different to much of the material here. It does speed up somewhat as it reaches the end, too, with Ifill vamping as the band speed up and more busy guitar solos are thrown in. This showcases the band's typical metal sound a bit more than the song as a whole - so there is a metallic edge as the album closes. Overall, then, Interceptor is a strong album. Many of the songs here sink in pretty quickly - but the album did take a few goes for me to fully appreciate despite the songwriting here being pretty typical. There is a lot more classic rock here than I expected, but its inclusion is welcome - and Fury are certainly a band who deserve to be heard more widely.

The album was released on 5th September 2025 via Mighty Music/Target. Below is the band's promotional video for Interceptor.