Review Summary: What is this magic?!
Force Fed ignites in explosive fashion with the pulse-pounding, ridiculously-rollicking opener "Freezer Burn". While this marvelous track capsizes at just beneath three minutes, the frenzied album opener strangely feels lengthier than it actually is; largely this is aided by a bevy of whirling guitar-sections and frenetic drumming-patterns on behalf of Ted Parsons. Proceeding the quick and wickedly-fast rocker, known as "Forgery", "Senseless Abuse" arrives and absolutely blows the lid off this record. A shoe-in for the best song of this collection, this third track benefits from a classic thrash metal opening melody, which runs for just over a minute, before introducing Tommy Victor's savage vocals for just a moment only to slam into the absolutely monstrous chorus. This sensational song, and the supreme "Primitive Origins" alike, brings to mind Mercyful Fate's black metal masterpiece Melissa in terms of doom-riddled atmosphere and sheer instrumental prowess.
"The Coliseum" opens the midway-point of this record in creeping, hypnotic style. The experimental instrumental gives this ferocious record a bit of breathing-room before introducing us to "Decay", a powerfully-impactful track with memorable riffs abound. "It's Been Decided" is every bit as unique as "The Coliseum", offering unique and haunting melodies before blazing into the brilliant title track. "Force Fed" is as intense and momentum-driven as any song on this thrash metal winner, though you may find yourself glancing at the tracklist upon recognizing that they utilize the lyrics "it's been decided" throughout. "The Taming" is the fastest song here, beating out "Forgery" as the first to pass that proverbial finish-line.
Starting off on a wildly groovy note, "Bought And Sold" stands-out with bassist Mike Kirkland stepping forward to take charge of the lead vocals and he definitely delivers a refreshingly aggressive pattern throughout. "Look Up At The Sun" almost plays a trick on the listener not even midway through by slowing down the pacing to a crawl after nearly a minute. An extremely effective, calamity-ridden track that is easily the most atmospheric across the record; featuring sounds of nuclear chaos buried in the background. "Drainpipe" closes this album in a pitch-perfect manner. Swift, sudden, magnetic and majestic, this closer is the embodiment of this record as a whole. Force Fed is a thrash metal epic that begs to be heard.
