FEAR The Last Time CD Review

It was just a few months ago that I reviewed Fear’s for Right and Order release and now here I am with another new Fear album! At the time of writing the last review this album hadn’t been announced yet, so this is certainly a surprise. However, I’d be lying if I said I’m chipper as hell. The title of the new release is called “The Last Time” and according to the band, this will be the band’s last release. I don’t know about you, but to know there will never be another release from FEAR really bothers me. While the band has never released many records, it was always nice to look up and see that a new one had been released or that there was one in the works. Now we know that this wonderful Chaotic, Explicit, always Controversial Punk Rock Circus is closing. As a middle-aged man still holding onto every single piece of his wasted youth, this is just another reminder that we’re all getting older and that sooner or later we all must leave the party before it ends. It couldn’t last forever, but it’s been a helluva ride and Mr. Lee Ving deserves all the credit in the world for the way he’s approached his career and this band.
 
The Last Time is quite possibly the most adult oriented release that Fear has ever released. Sure, there’s moments of War, Fucking, Fighting and Bombing random shit, but overall, the album is cohesive, well put together and the production/recording is by far the best of the band’s career. Lee Ving sounds like a fresh 21-year-old kid, his voice just never seems to age nor does his ability to scream obscenities as loud as possible. Those of you who are familiar with the band will deeply appreciate the re-recording of several tracks that were first released on the Paradise Studio Demo Sessions – “Three Blind Mice”, “Waiting for The Gas” and Classic Rock oriented “Fuel Injected Papa”. There’s also a much-needed re-recording of “What are Friends for” that first saw the light of day on the Fear Live…For the Record release. This track has long been a favorite of the fans of the band, it’s a great rendition and a very welcomed addition on the album. In keeping with Ving’s need to cover random tracks lately, this time out he’s added Bob Seger’s “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” which comes across much like a Southern Rock throat punch, is it the best thing you’ve ever heard, probably not, but it’s FEAR and we all know the lyrics aren’t too far off when it comes to Ving. I can dig it, and I appreciate Ving’s adding it here. I adore all the covers the band has been doing recently – The Stones cover of “Honky Tonk Woman” jumps out specifically. The one thing that’s missing from the album is a track about Beer, I’m not hearing it and I’ve been listening incessantly since it was released. I don’t drink alcohol anymore, but a FEAR album without a song about beer is a bit wild, but hey life changes and we move on. We still have all the other albums and songs about beer, right?!
 
The band and their label have made several vinyl pressings of “The Last Time” album available for preorder on the band’s site, I strongly urge you to go and reserve a copy today! I can tell you from experience that more than likely the album will be sold out before the vinyl is released in February. I missed out on the For Right and Order Vinyl release and I had to wait for another reissue, which just happened earlier this week. Don’t be like me, order it today! I didn’t miss out on it; I’ve got mine preordered and I grabbed the CD for good measure too. There’s no such thing as too much FEAR and given that this is the “last time” this one is special. I’m happy I was alive and that I got to experience what it was like to be a FEAR fan all these years and to follow them from every incarnation of the band. Lee Ving, despite how controversial he’s been at times is an American treasure and should be treated as such!

Hey soft ass, this ain’t New York, reach into that cooler and pass me one of them ice cold Budweisers and FUCK CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!

~Black Angel