Letters From The Fire Drives Home Its Pain With Smoldering Results

I'm stunned at the raw pistons chugging along behind San Francisco's Letters From The Fire. The drumming sets itself up to give you the best kind of aural migraines (yes, they do exist). Mike Keller doesn't even comes close to phoning it in on guitar. His chainsaw relentlessness makes "Worth The Pain" hard to turn your ears away from. To add to that drummer Brian Stumwall's licks are beyond belief. He rips into his kit as if he had a big time vendetta to settle with it. Vocalist Alexa Kabazie has quite the set of tonsils to flash. You can really detect both the fire and brimstone if you listen closely enough. Cameron Stuckey's guitar contributions can't be overlooked either. They go down like the most sumptuous feast you've always wanted to try but never quite got around to. Bass player Clayton Wages isn't a lightweight. Right out of the box "Worth The Pain" rumbles from within the shadows. The longer you listen the better the addictive snarl becomes. Letters From The Fire no doubt deserves the respect it commands. I like the mixture of sound each member brings to the table. Alexa bristles against a lover who created the scorned woman who has since morphed into the blood dripping monster he sees before him. Actually "Worth The Pain" could work as a battle anthem for any female who's smarting but not so much so that she can't sink her teeth into the newly declared object of her contempt. Alexa thanks this manchild for walking away because the experience has solidified her bend don't break resolve. The bridge teems with examples of why Letters From The Fire gels successfully as a tight knit collective of musical maniacs. These folks wouldn't know neutral gear if it jumped up and bit them on the crotch region. The stick the dismount conclusion just blows away all doubt that these Californians have a bright future in front of them. "Worth The Pain", to my discerning ears, is a pleasure to listen to from start to finish.