Back2Burn
By
Fireball Flingaz
Album Review
The recently released debut LP from Fireball Flingaz (aka
Remark & Exile) was hotly anticipated and the first run of CD’s sold out in
around 24 hours. So, a second run was produced for those who missed out first
time around.
So what made this album so highly prized by Hip Hop fans out
there? Was it the pedigree and respect these two legends of the UK scene always
get or was it the promise of some hardcore, no fucks given, Hip Hop flava that
so attracted those of us that know?
For those of you who have heard this one already or for
those of you that haven’t, here is my take on Back2Burn...
The Intro
immediately hits you hard with its pounding beat, frantic cuts and a verbal
message that we will no longer stand idly by but, will expose injustice, pain,
suffering and those who seek to control the masses. So, with the tone of the
album well and truly set into the musical frequencies, we are next treated to
the banging string heavy 100% Proof.
The frustration and anger at the powers that be is clear here in this frantic,
undiluted opening salvo. Next the Flingaz turn their focus to Psywar and the
many ways psychological warfare is used to infiltrate and influence the minds
of everyone on the planet. Well those who have access to mass media that is.
The production is a drum heavy assault with the kind of scratches that tear
into your soul. Lockdown 2020 finds
the subject turns to the current situation with covid and the failings of our
government and the promotion of fear and the lies told as truths to keep us in
the place they want us. The production is dark and has an orchestral feel that
takes you deep into what could be the new normal.
The perfect follow up to the lockdown is Circus of Fools, a guitar laced
pounding track that examines the fact that so many people live day to day not
giving a damn and becoming the ‘sheeple’ the powers want us to be. But, just
how does this happen? Mind Out drags
you kicking and screaming through the subject of Fake News and how it seeks to
dampen your mind to what is really going on and all the while you are accompanied
by a hard heavy beat with a nerve tingling piano and dagger like cuts. There is
hope as not all of us are taken in by the lies. The Sheep They Lay Low (skit) is a short almost eerie track that
features David Icke. The message here is so on point, don’t get taken in by the
lies, speak out, because the minute to sit back and allow all the crap in your
mind is no longer yours, think about that. Stop
Scheming takes us on an orchestral heavy, banging, hardcore trip (for me
this one put me in mind of the great Killa Instinct) as the Flingaz open up on
the scheming that goes on behind the scenes to take hold of humanity and remove
our freedom.
Pillars of Hate,
is a hard and pounding track which is heavy on the brass. This one is all about
the perceived hierarchy in society and how so many of those in places of power
and wealth are involved in secret societies, darkness, protecting paedophiles
and more, abusing their positions for their own gains. Now initially when I
heard Exit it put me in mind of a purely Anti Government message but, the more
you listen the more it’s deeper than that. The track itself feels more relaxed
than previous but, the weight of the message is no less intense in its impact.
If you are wondering where we might be headed as a race then Extinction (skit) gives you a short
dark vision of just that, SO WAKE UP! Two
Fingaz of Fire takes us back the hardcore beats with the Flingaz flipping
the only salute necessary to the establishment. We will not be controlled and
our voices will be heard. We are the free and we are the many.
As we move into the final quarter of the album the
relentless assault continues with The
Burning, a full on head nod track that will have you punching the air. This
one really has the feel of a modern day Gunpowder Plot as the Fireball Flingaz
light the touch paper on the government. Alone
in the Dark has a strange feel as the track itself has a more upbeat feel
whilst the title suggests something else. Exile and Remark craft a full on
hellfire track that shows who they are what they are capable of and the hat
when you are alone in the dark, the mind is the superior weapon. As we move
into the penultimate track Contagious
Rage, the piano heavy beat is the calm over which the Flingaz mirror our
rage at the powers that be and that rage is a contagious one as more awaken to
the lies and will seek to turn the tables. The Outro does not ease us out of the album on a high but, leaves us
with the message that we need to look at who truly holds the strings and who
are the puppets and that there is a way out and that way is together, as one,
we will win.
Sometimes when I’m feeling an album I find it hard to grasp
the message as musically the album is so powerful it can almost over power the
message that is being giving lyrically. On Back2Burn, as you might note from
reading through, there were times when the sheer power of the combined musical
and verbal message caused me to nearly lose sight of the music but, not in a
bad way. The powerful way the lyrics and music combined was able to grab me and
move me on a deep level.
I found this album to be flawless. It is hardcore from
beginning to end and hits hard on all levels. There is anger here at those who
seek to control us and treat us like sheep or ants, to either be led or stepped
on. However, the anger is channelled through the music in a way that the
message comes across to help you open your eyes and help you see the truth and
to invite you to step away from the mass media and to see things from a new
perspective. Production has that hard uncut Hip Hop vibe non-stop and cut’s and
lyrical content scream underground Hip Hop at its most potent. The wealth of
samples from the likes of George Carlin, David Icke and from movies such as The
Crow, The Warriors and Network add perfectly to the whole ambiance of the
album. This might not be one you can play the whole family but, sometimes you
need to let go of the anger in a constructive adrenaline fuelled way.
For me this album is like taking the hardcore musical vision
of what some call britcore, mixing that with political strength of Public Enemy
and adding a dash of deep awareness that allows you to look beyond the bullshit
and see the facts for what they are. It is not to everyone’s taste but, I feel
that everyone who listens to this will be touched in some way because this
album is born of a collective outpouring of anger and disgust at the repulsive
treatment of ourselves and others. Many of us have been feeling this way long
before the Covid Pandemic but, recent events around the pandemic, the BLM
movement, race, equality and paedophilia etc have triggered so many to say no
longer will we stand for this and now Fireball Flingaz have added their
powerful voice to the cry for change.
If there are any of these still available, grab out while
you can.
Back2Burn is released through Inflamer Records.
Peace Out,
Steve
Buy CD/Digital/T-Shirts from the Inflamer Store: https://www.inflamer.uk/products
Fireball Flingaz Bandcamp: https://fireballflingaz.bandcamp.com/
Fireball Flingaz Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fireballflingaz/?epa=SEARCH_BOX
PSYWAR - Official Video
