At first glance, you would be forgiven if you expect Norway’s Fight The Fight to lean toward a certain Satanic style born in Oslo, judging by their guitarists names Amok and Lord and considering the band’s hometown, which also happens to be the birthplace of that blackest of metal.

But look a little deeper; their band logo is too readable, the album cover bleeds with far too much color (and any color at all is too much for black metal, naturally) and the song titles are too short and speak nothing of cold forests.

Many outside of Norway may prejudge Fight The Fight (Indie Recordings) based the aforementioned black metal and Kvelertak. While Fight the Fight certainly has more in common with the latter, embracing a sort of “anything goes” approach in blending several styles of music into a single song, they also manage to sound quite unique. Yet, they wouldn’t seem at all out of place on a tour with, say, Every Time I Die or Of Mice and Men.

Take, for instance, the eponymous title track. An album highlight right out of the gate, ‘Fight the Fight’ opens with a surfista riff channeling Dick Dale, before it breaks down completely into a familiar Metalcore groove. But, just when you think you have the song figured out, from left field comes an instantly memorable chorus that might not sound out of place on a Guns n’ Roses or seventies-era Alice Cooper record. Even vocalist Lars Vegas’s pipes are all scratchy and lemon juicy in true W. Axl Rose fashion.

And though there are a couple of missteps on the album, namely the typical, modern-day hard rock ballad ‘The Other Side’, which even sits in the appropriate track three spot, and ‘Addictions’, which, while featuring some great riffing is rather indistinguishable from other nameless bands that strive to marry the melodic with the monstrous, Fight The Fight is surprisingly strong for a debut, and different enough to set the band apart from its peers.

These songs were clearly written for the stage, for an audience that loves the pit as much as it does throwing its collective fist into the sky and screaming along with an anthemic chorus. The closing jab-left hook of ‘My Emperor’ and ‘Patient Zero’ end the album as it began, on an impressive high note.

Look forward to fighting the fight live.

7.0/10

JASON KOROLENKO