BillyBio Feed The Fire

From the opening moments of Feed The Fire, it's clear that Billy Graziadei, founding member of crossover legends Biohazard, hasn't lost his edge. Under the moniker BillyBio, Graziadei's first solo album calls upon the vocalist/guitarist's New York Hardcore roots while never sounding rehashed or dated. Instead, he complements the late 80's hardcore grind with his thirty years of experience playing in bands like the aforementioned Biohazard and rap rock supergroup Powerflo. There is nothing mind-blowing here, but Feed The Fire is loaded with enough gang vocal sing-alongs and blistering hardcore riffs to satisfy any Sick Of It All fan. Take opener "Freedom's Never Free," for example. The track is immediately thrust into a fury of upbeat drumming and driving guitars, led by Graziadei's unmistakable high pitch yells. The band slows down only long enough to showcase an anthemic half-speed bridge section before churning out its aggressive finish. For the most part, that's how most of Feed The Fire rolls along. "Stfu" and "Enemy" are energetic hardcore songs utilizing as much group vocals as not, while "Rise And Slay" showcases the best riff Strife never wrote before dropping into the most blatant breakdown on the album. Tracks like "Sodality" and "Sick And Tired" mix Biohazard-esque grooves into the hardcore fury, the latter even featuring some wailing guitar solos. But it's a newer element to Graziadei's sound that adds the extra dimension to Feed The Fire. The title track soars on a melodic chorus, not exactly sung, but not exactly yelled either. Even the refrain to "Generation Z," the song most likely vying for some type of air-play, is annoyingly catchy at first, but the hook will grow on you. Its borderline juvenile lyrics ("A new generation that is kicking ass / Fuck the world and the upper-class") get trapped in your head and by the third or fourth listen you can't help but join in. Anchored by a simple guitar lead and mid-paced rhythm, the track is definitely among the most memorable of the batch. Aside from a misstep into the realm of rap rock ("Untruth") and a couple segue tracks, BillyBio never strays too far outside of Graziadei's comfort zone. And that's great. The chaotic pace and heavy onslaught is everything that you could have possibly hoped for in his solo debut. Bottom Line: If you like Madball, Agnostic Front and/or Biohazard, Feed The Fire is for you. BillyBio's first solo outing is as impressive as it is fun. There's enough finger pointing sing-alongs and mosh-worthy riffs to last us until Graziadei's next one.