Fastway

Review:
In classic rock, there were plenty of supergroups - groups which took well-known and talented rockers from assorted popular groups and put them together in the same band. Of course, due to all the clashing talent, these groups were short lived, more often than not. Classic metal supergroups were a rarity, but there was at least one - Fastway. The group was composed of former Motorhead guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke, former UFO bassist Pete Way, former Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley, and vocalist Dave King, chosen for the job due to his solid Robert Plant impersonation. The band's self-titled debut got released in 1983, the year in which heavy metal began breaking into the mainstream heavily. Read on for my review.

Fastway is an amazing band with a sound all their own. It's a sound that's tough to describe, combining a classic heavy bluesy rock sound (not unlike that of Led Zeppelin) with a classic eighties metal sound (not unlike that of Motley Crue.) The end result is pure genius, as the band demonstrates beautifully on the ten tracks this debut release serves up. The album starts off solid, with the classic bluesy metal onslaught of Easy Livin'. An opening track should grab the listener's attention and hold onto it, and this one does just that. If you're a fan of Sammy Hagar-era Montrose, you're gonna love Say What You Will and Feel Me Touch Me (Do Anything You Want), as the hard rock sound featured on both of these tracks is very similar to the stylings of that band (if I didn't know better, I'd swear the opening to the former song was swiped from the Montrose classic I Don't Want It.) There really are no weak tracks on Fastway's debut, and the overall strength of the tracks will help listeners overlook the feeling of redundancy which shows up in some places on the album (and besides, the band wouldn't have been redundant with their sound unless they knew it was a good sound to use - and it certainly is.) If you like classic eighties hard rock, Fastway is for you. Just don't come in expecting them to sound like any of the groups that the band members came from initially - Fastway's got a sound all their own.

In the end, Fastway's debut is a solid eighties metal release. It's just a shame the band never gained more fame, despite the presence of so many metal superstars. If you're a fan of heavy metal from the decade of decadence, Fastway is one of the bands from the era that is definitely worth checking out. Don't make the mistake so many others have of overlooking the group - if you're a fan of classic metal, that mistake is just gonna hurt you.


				*Fastway*