FASTWAY: "Eat Dog Eat"

Rating: 8/10

Label: SPV/Steamhammer 2011

Review by Alan Holloway

When you see that Fastway are releasing their first album for 20 years or so, you have to wonder if anyone is really going to care that much. Fastway, although hinged on the presence of Motorhead man Fast Eddie Clarke, were always a bit of a revolving door of a band, and this resulted in albums of varying quality, my favourite being the “Trick Or Treat” soundtrack from 1996. Unsurprisingly, the band has gone through more line up changes since they played at Hard Rock Hell a few years ago, and now consists of Clarke, Toby Jepson (vocals/bass) and Matt Eldrige (drums).

Although Jepson has his own habit of bouncing around different projects, he’s a safe bet for a decent vocal any day of the week, and as a result “Eat Dog Eat” sounds great, with Clarke laying down some melodic, bluesy riffs and throwing in plenty of nifty solos along the way. Musically, the sound is nicely between UFO and Little Angels, taking some of the better bits from both, with the result a surprisingly decent album. “Deliver Me”, “Fade Out”, “Leave The Light” on and “Sick As A Dog” all fly by early on with the album broken up by a cracking ballad (well, half a ballad with a rocky finish) in the shape of “Dead & Gone”, with Jepson relishing the chance to utilize his brilliant vocal range and grab bag full of emotion.

Refreshing, solid and crunchy, “Eat Dog Eat” is a welcome return for both Clarke and Jepson, playing off the talents of both in just the right way. Here’s hoping they manage to stick together to do some more.



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