Forte : Stranger Than Fiction
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
Originally released in 1992, Stranger Than Fiction was the debut album from Oklahoma City-based thrash metal band Forte. The band’s story, unfortunately, is all too familiar. Despite a very strong sound, they emerged just as radio and MTV were abandoning metal in favor of all things alternative. Forte still managed to release some killer thrash metal albums, and thanks to reissue label Divebomb Records we get to hear this long out-of-print debut once again.
Not too far removed from bands like Vicious Rumors, Helstar and to some degree early Sanctuary, Forte’s thrash metal sound had a good measure of what you would – at the time – have called power metal. Beyond the sheer speed and technicality on display (and how the hell did they pull that off with only one guitarist?), Stranger Than Fiction has a decidedly melodic aspect, making it more than just a shred-fest. Vocalist James Randel (previously with Oliver Magnum) has a voice that could go from the typical sharp thrash style to a powerful high-pitched wail when necessary, which helps cement the Helstar comparison. Between his vocal performance and Jeff Scott’s blistering guitar pyrotechnics (not to mention Greg Scott and Rev Jones’s very tight rhythms), Forte combines speed and power for a completely unforgettable power/thrash experience.
Divebomb’s reissue of Stranger Than Fiction not only gets this album back into circulation, it also gives it a major upgrade. The main improvement is that the album has been digitally remastered. The reissue also features a hefty eleven bonus tracks, more than doubling the original album’s length. In addition to the version of “Dementia By Design” from the Metal Massacre XI compilation, the reissue includes the band’s complete 1988 Dementia By Design demo and the Forte 1991 demo. Still want more? Well, how about the massive amount of rare photos and show flyers contained in the booklet? This is a “fully loaded” reissue, and like all Divebomb reissues it’s limited to 1000 copies and is not available in MP3 format. If you’re a classic thrash and/or American power metal fan, you’ll want to get your hands on this one, and quickly.
Genre: Thrash Metal
Band:
James Randel (v)
Jeff Scott (g)
Ghames “Rev” Jones (b)
Greg Scott (d)
Track Listing:
1. Coming of the Storm
2. The Inner Circle
3. Stranger Than Fiction
4. G-13 (Devoid of Thought)
5. Mein Madness
6. Time and Time Again
7. Digitator
8. Between the Lies
9. The Last Word
10. The Promise
11. Dementia By Design (MMXI Version)
12. Between the Lies (demo version)
13. Dementia By Design (demo version)
14. Digitator (demo version)
15. Mein Madness (demo version)
16. The Promise (demo version)
17. Stranger Than Fiction (demo version)
18. The Inner Circle (demo version)
19. Devoid of Thought (demo version)
20. The Coming of the Storm (demo version)
21. The Last Word (demo version)
Label: Divebomb Records
Website: www.myspace.com/fortemetal
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5/10