Toryn Green- Vocals
Carl Bell - Guitar
Jeff Abercrombie - Bass
Tommy Stewart - Drums

Fuel has nothing to prove. The band has sold over 3.5 million albums in the U.S. and scored a trio of top 5 singles, "Shimmer," "Innocent" and "Hemorrhage (In My Hands"), the latter of which remained at #1 for 12 weeks. In addition, Fuel have sold out tours all over the world, headlining venues and opening for bands including Aerosmith, Kid Rock, Creed and 3 Doors Down. Fuel are primed to pick up where they left off with their latest release, Angels And Devils, with new band members in tow to help add to an already formidable list of achievements.

Since they burst onto the scene with their 1998 full-length debut Sunburn, Fuel has been a staple on rock radio regardless of the ebb and flow of ephemeral musical trends. After the massive success of "Shimmer," Fuel released 2000's Something Like Human, which featured the hit singles "Innocent" and "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" and achieved double platinum status. After 3 years filled with touring, Fuel released 2003's Natural Selection, which featured the hit "Falls On Me." The steady schedule of hit songs and sold out tours was interrupted in 2004 when the band and singer Brett Scallions decided to amicably part ways.

For rock bands, lineup changes can be healthy, providing new options, renewed enthusiasm and a new aesthetic. But even in the best circumstances, they can also be difficult, resulting in growing pains and frequently, a learning curve that must be navigated to continue to move forward. "There's been a lot of turmoil within the band over the past few years and a lot of that is reflected in these songs," says guitarist and chief songwriter Carl Bell. "When change happens it brings out the best and the worst in people, and I'd like to think that for us it was mostly the best."

Angels and Devils, Fuels first new disc since 2003's Natural Selection, isn't a comeback, it's an ambitious step forward -- one that taps into a spectrum of experiences to deliver heartfelt songs that range from slow and pensive to energized and euphoric. It is the first Fuel album to feature new singer, Toryn Green.

After the band made the decision to part with Brett they auditioned local singers a friend recommended, but none worked out. So, they conducted an Internet search, posting an instrumental version of their hit "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" and asking performers to email the file back with their vocals on it. Unsurprisingly, Fuel received thousands of responses, including one from Green, who went beyond the call of duty.

"I sent in my version of 'Hemorrhage' like everyone else, but after 24 hours, I didn't feel like that was enough to make me stand out," Green says. "So, I went and made a medley of 'Bad Day' and 'Innocent' and sent that in as well.' Impressed by the effort to which Green had gone and floored by his multi-octave voice, Fuel brought him in for an audition. As soon as he stepped up to the microphone, it became clear that he would be the man to beat for the position. And no one else even came close.

"He knew all the songs, he was a fan of the band and he had a great voice. So going in, were really hopeful," says Bell. "And then when he walked in the room and we saw him, he was everything we were looking for. He can sing the old songs with little effort and his range is really broad so we can do more with our music now than ever."

Green, however, isn't the only new member in Fuel. Fuel have also enlisted ex-Godsmack drummer Tommy Stewart, who had previously filled in for a handful of live shows after former drummer Kevin Miller left. "I love these guys," says Stewart. "We came up together. Their first album was out around the same time as the first Godsmack record. They're great guys and they make it fun and I've always enjoyed their music."

While Stewart is currently part of the Fuel lineup, he had other commitments when they were recording Angels and Devils, so the band recruited studio musician Josh Freese, who has also played for Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle and others.

Fuel entered the studio with producer Scott Humphrey (Tommy Lee, Rob Zombie) to start working on Angels and Devils in August 2006. Since they were playing material Bell had been fine-tuning for two years, the songs were all in good shape, and there were over 30 to choose from. And even though Fuel was working with Green, Freese and Humphrey for the first time, the sessions were unbelievably smooth and productive, with Green's unbridled enthusiasm leading the way.

"I was so excited to be in there with them because this is something I've wanted to do my entire life," Green says. "So, having the opportunity to get in there and work with these guys who are pros and have done such great records -- I couldn't have asked for a better experience. They pushed me, but that's where I feel the most comfortable. I wanted to take myself to the limits because a lot of the times I didn't know what those limits were."

"Toryn picked up the vibe of what we were doing so quickly," Bell says. "After just a few practices it was like he's always been with us. And it was great to work with Scott Humphrey because he and I saw eye to eye on a lot of stuff and he's got one of the coolest studio set ups I've ever seen."

Bell named the new album Angels and Devils to reflect the dichotomy he's experienced over the past several years. Aside from the turbulence caused by the departures of Miller and Scallions, he has faced numerous conflicts in his own life, and instead of internalizing his issues, he has dealt with them in his music more candidly than ever.

"For me, the idea of Angels and Devils translates into the way you feel about people and the way they think about you," he explains. "You try to do all the right things and still people have different perceptions of what you even hoped. And the whole duality of 'did I do the right thing here?' and 'why did this happen?' and 'why did people decide that this is supposed to go down this way?' is something I think about a lot. So there's a lot of questioning on this record."

Nowhere is this more delineated than on the song "Wasted Time." The song starts with acoustic guitars, evocative strings and weary vocals before blossoming into a beautifully melancholy song driven by strong hooks and an undeniable chorus. "I don't have the most optimistic view of relationships," Bell admits. "On a planetary scale, divorce rates are the highest they've ever been, and it just seems inevitable, almost. Maybe men and women aren't supposed to live together, I don't know?"

The track "Gone" further illustrates Bell's experiences with a story about escape from codependence. "Everybody's had that moment where you're with your boyfriend or girlfriend and you're going along, and then you just realize that this is wrong and it's bringing out the worst in me and this is not working and I don't even like this person anymore," he explains. "Then you look back at it and go, why was I even there? Why did I torture myself in that situation?" "Gone" bobs like a buoy and grooves like a go-go dancer as it builds and dips from one unforgettable vocal line to the next.

More than anything, Angels and Devils is a bold, inviting new voice from a band that had to be quiet for too long. While some bands in similar situations lose their footing, Fuel has jumped back onto the racetrack with feet flying and hearts pumping pure adrenaline.

"We're so happy to able to get back to doing what we love to do," Abercrombie says. "In some ways, it really does feel like a rebirth. Carl and I have been the core of the band since day one, but we have a new front man and it's a new beginning for us and we couldn't be more excited."

TOUR DATES

Mar 19 2008
Leudecke Arena - Austin TX
7311 Decker Lane
with Uncle Kracker, F.K.A., Poets and Pornstars
On Sale Now

MUSIC

Buy	Angels & Devils Release Date:  August 07, 2007 Track listing for CD Longplay (700952)
	1  Gone 2  I Should Have Told You 3  Forever 4  Wasted Time (G-Mix) 5  Leave the Memories Alone 6  Mess 7  Not This Time 8  Scars in the Making 9  Hangin Round 10  Again 11  Halos of the Son 12  Angels Take a Soul 13  Wasted Time (S-Mix)
Buy	The Best of Fuel Release Date:  December 13, 2005 Track listing for CD Longplay (675709)
	1  Hemorrhage (In My Hands)  ra  wma32  wma128 2  Won't Back Down (bring you hell remix)  ra  wma32  wma128 3  Shimmer (Single Version)  ra  wma32  wma128 4  Bad Day  ra  wma32  wma128 5  Last Time  ra  wma32  wma128 6  Falls On Me  ra  wma32  wma128 7  Jesus Or A Gun  ra  wma32  wma128 8  Sunburn  ra  wma32  wma128 9  Bittersweet  ra  wma32  wma128 10  Innocent  ra  wma32  wma128 11  Quarter  ra  wma32  wma128
Buy	Natural Selection Release Date:  September 23, 2003 Track listing for CD Longplay (086392)
	1  Quarter 2  Down Inside Of You 3  Million Miles 4  Falls On Me 5  These Things 6  Won't Back Down (bring you hell remix) 7  Running Away 8  Most Of All 9  Getting Thru? 10  Die Like This 11  Luck 12  Days With You
Buy	Something Like Human Release Date:  September 23, 2003 Track listing for CD Longplay (090705)
	1  Last Time 2  Hemorrhage (In My Hands) 3  Empty Spaces 4  Scar 5  Bad Day 6  Prove 7  Easy 8  Down 9  Solace 10  Knives 11  Innocent 12  Slow 13  Hemorrhage (In My Hands) (Acoustic Album Version) 14  Daniel 15  Going To California
Buy	Sunburn Release Date:  September 23, 2003 Track listing for CD Longplay (090704)
	1  Untitled 2  Bittersweet 3  Shimmer (Single Version) 4  Jesus Or A Gun 5  Sunburn 6  New Thing 7  It's Come To This 8  Song For You 9  Mary Pretends 10  Ozone 11  Hideaway 12  King For A Day 13  Walk The Sky

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Bell's View in Baltimore :: November 8, 2007

It's a cold November night in Baltimore. Outside, people are bustling as they are going out to dinner or shopping in one of the many places alongside Baltimore Harbor. Just a block away within the Power Station Live complex in Ram's Head Live, Fuel finishes up their dinner in the cozy confines of their backstage room. Still a couple hours before they headline the night's show, guitarist and mastermind Carl Bell and I are sitting comfortably on a leather couch watching a Russian television special. We watch as this guy tosses a bowl of boiling water in the air. The -35 degree temperature is turning the water into mist and falls like snow.

As I gaze at a bowl of chips, Carl brings up the fact that vocalist Toryn Green and drummer Tommy Stewart are both health nuts. In fact, Tommy might even be a dietician and works out pretty frequently.

Carl and I begin talking about how the current tour with Trapt is going. Like many people, Carl knew Trapt from their hit "Headstrong" but was then surprised by how many songs they had he knew and enjoyed. Commenting about Toryn's vocals on the tour, Carl said, "Toryn's been great. Knock on wood, he's holding up very well. Let me find some real wood here. As a vocalist he's holding up, we were all wondering how he would hold up doing it every night."

I wondered if the guys got to have any fun on Halloween. Possibly dress up or have a party. On Halloween, the guys played a show in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Carl: That was such a crazy day, if I remember right, we really didn't get do anything. We had just drove a long way and we didn't have time. We didn't do anything particularly crazy. Toryn just had a birthday, so we had a thing for that. My girl had a birthday on the 18th. So we've done some small things here and there, but nothing for Halloween.
Asif: You notice any of the dressed up fans?
Carl: There were a few people in the crowd dressed up. Actually they turned the club over after we left to a big Halloween party. After we got off stage and they kicked everyone out, they had a whole Halloween party.
Asif: So you guys didn't get to stay and enjoy it at all?
Carl: No, no, no! I could have stayed. I went to get into the place but it was so packed you could not even move. So I decided, "Okay, that's not my type of thing". It was wall-to-wall bodies in that place. So we were like,"Alright, that looks fun, but we're just gonna go back to the bus."
Asif: You wouldn't have even needed an outfit. Already dressed as a rock star…
Carl: (laughs) Yeah, there was a little bit of everything, so I know I would have been fine. But I was like, "Ehh, whatever."

With Toryn and Tommy being the new guys in the band, I thought for sure Carl would have a laundry list of pranks to pull on the two. Turns out they've been so busy, Carl hasn't really had too much time to pull any shenanigans. But I can tell Carl has some ideas brewing.

Carl: We've threatened forever to put Toryn on a van behind the bus. (laughs)
Asif: (laughs)
Carl: You can't just walk off the street and step on a tour bus, you know what I mean? It's just not right! But so far, we haven't really hazed him a lot. It's just been too busy to do anything.
Asif: You should try some of the classics. You know, like putting his hand in some warm water so he takes a leak on himself…or the whole shaving cream bit might work too.
Carl: Hmm..yeah. Yeah. Maybe ruin the sheets in his bed. We'd probably do a lot of stuff worse than that if we were going to do something. He's got off pretty easy so far, we haven't hazed him a lot.
Asif: What about Tommy?
Carl: Well Tommy's been there and done that. Tommy was with Godsmack. He's been on a tour bus…he's not a new guy to it all. But Toryn, he's just coming onto a tour bus without having to do the van tour very much or anything like that. We're gonna have to get going [hazing Toryn] onto that.

One of the highlights during their shows on this has been when Carl flashes the rear of one of his guitars. It proudly displays the words "Spay Britney". As we begin to talk about Hollywood celebrities, Carl sinks in deeper into the couch and his tone slightly changes. I can sense that Carl is very passionate about topic.

Carl: Why we are fascinated with celebrities as a human race doesn't say much for us, I don't think. I just don't get why? I have a friend of mine who is a doctor. I was with him one day and he had literally saved three people's lives before lunch. You know what I mean? He's a cardiologist. We were out to eat and someone said, "Hey, it's the guys from Fuel!" They wanted autographs and they were talking to us…and it seemed so completely off kilter compared to the fact that I was sitting next to a guy who had saved three people's lives that morning.
Asif: I really think people's perceptions in today's society of icons and stuff like that is so messed up.
Carl: Yes man! And then you go beyond that…like with Britney and Paris Hilton…who have done totally nothing at all to contribute to anything in our planet. You know what I mean? I just don't understand that! Obviously, it's what people love and as a human race we love that stuff. You can't get out of a supermarket without having to fight the racks and racks of new magazines that are out there just following these people. Making up stories - we don't even care if they make it up anymore! People still buy it! You know what I mean? I just don't get it. So the "Spay Britney" - I was actually going to do that for Leno. I had that on the back of my guitar for Leno and they would not let me do it because I wanted to flash it on the show. I was going to do it anyway, but they said, "If you do it, we'll just cut it." They can because it's not aired live. So, that was leftover from Leno because that was at the height of Britney. When she was flashing her crotch and the baby was in the frontseat…it was just like, "Argh!…come on".
Asif: Yeah, the Leno show was during the peak of all the Britney crap.
Carl: My favorite quote was when the guy, who saw Britney get out, said, "When I saw that crotch shot of Britney I couldn't eat Subway for a week!" (laughs)
Asif: (laughs) Ah man, gross!
Carl: (laughs) It's like, come on! You know what I mean? Did you see those pictures?
Asif: No, thank God I didn't!
Carl: Those were not endearing pictures!
Asif: Thanks for telling me man. That's definitely not something I'm gonna go looking online for!
Carl: Oh no, don't! You are better off you didn't! It would probably stunt you sexually for quite some time.
Asif: (laughs)
Carl: (laughs) It was seriously…(looking down and shaking his head) it was pretty rough.

When we began to start talking about the band's newest album Angels & Devils, we really settled in. As Carl tugged on his beanie cap, he went from talking about how it was time that might have made the album different from the rest. But from there? I don't think I even expecting him to bring up Hannah Montana.

Carl: A lot of it [with Angels & Devils] was time. A lot of it was just straight time to write volumes of music and to choose the best out of that batch of songs. Three months after our last tour, I actually had "Angels Take A Soul" written, I had "Again" written, "Not This Time" written…that was three months after we got off the tour…and three years later we get the record out! (laughs) I had a lot of songs written before we even got off of tour, it just took us so long - off the road/ into making a record/ the transition with Brett/ get a new singer in/ get everything together and get going again - it just took so long. So a lot of that stuff is written, but that also gave me the benefit of time to write a lot of songs and I had to be able to pull material from all those songs. There were 40 songs for this record we could have chosen from. So…that for me, maybe, was the biggest thing.

I dig this record too. I feel this record is as strong, if not stronger, than any other record we've had. It's just really difficult right now with Epic and the label and everybody being in such disastrous state that the music industry is in right now. It's really been hard to get traction and love from those guys. I just went into the label last week and they all agreed…they really love it. It's just weird. With Hannah Montana selling bazillion records and the biggest frickin' show of the year in L.A, I guess all the labels are trying to jump on the pop wagon. So part of what happened was, when we launched our record, they were trying to launch a little Hannah Montana type girl who ends up getting all the financing and all the push. So it has been really frustrating. Really frustrating. But I agree, I'm down with the record. I really love the record a lot. But…if they tell me, "This record sucks, go write another record", I can fix that. I can't fix a label. I can't fix their sight. And hopefully they'll be a little change in at the label after a few meetings. I know they do believe in it, but hopefully there will be a change and get on board here and start pushing us a little harder. That's something that's really out of my control, which is really frustrating and really hard to deal with.

Having heard him talk about it briefly before, I asked Carl exactly what songs or what parts of songs that he re-wrote because of the change in vocal ranges from Toryn to former vocalist Brett Scallions. Carl sat up as he began to speak about Toryn, Brett, and singing "Hemorrhage" the way it was meant to be sung.

Carl: There was a lot of stuff. Like where at the end of the songs, when you try to reach the crescendo vocally, it's really really cool. The lines I heard in my head, he could sing! I'm like, "Dude, sing this." and he [Toryn] is like, "Okay". Then he'd sing it and I'd be like, "Wow! He hit that note!" Then I'd come back with more…so he started opening up. As we started recording, he was hitting notes that should be hit. Brett had his issues. And Brett was a great singer, but there were parts…"Hemorrhage" is a half-step down. We had to record "Hemorrhage" a half-step down when we recorded it in the studio. That's probably the only song we have that's a half-step down and that's because Brett was a different person, and a different vocal range. But with Toryn…we do radio now - we just did radio today on 98Rock in Baltimore here - and we can do "Hemorrhage" actually in standard tuning, acoustic, without having to do it a half-step down and he can sing it fine. There is some freedom that he is definitely bringing to the table with that. It's great. No offense to Brett, he's just a different person and people have a different range. You know, if I could sing like Brett or if I could sing like Toryn, I'd be happy to do that as well! (laughs) But obviously we're all different animals and everybody's different, and Toryn is different than Brett. But he does bring a little more range to the system here.

Something that I hadn't thought about, up until this point, suddenly pops in my head. I'm sitting here, on a couch, watching television with Carl Bell. This isn't just someone all the Fuel fans love, but I'm sitting here with The Carl Bell.

Asif: Besides all the Fuelies out there, people in the music industry in general think that Carl Bell is a musical genius...that you've really left your stamp on the rock music scene in this time we live in. I know you mentioned time as being a big thing, but maybe that was just for Angels & Devils, so I know I'm curious to know, and I'm pretty confident that a lot of other people would like to know, what is the mental process - the state in your mind, your psyche - of generating that idea or concept up here [I point to my head] to down on paper?

For the first time tonight, there is a brief silence. Carl is in a deep state of thinking. After a few seconds go by, Carl looks up.

Carl: I think a lot of it is just doing it. You know what I mean? You have to just start writing songs. And your gonna write tons of stuff and its going to be horrible, but just keep writing. [pauses] A lot of it is just dedication to what you're doing, and then the other side of it is that I think there is some kind of wiring in your system or the way you were wired that helps you do what you do. I could go out all day and shoot baskets, but I'm not going to be Michael Jordan. Something happened with Michael Jordan that was just right. I could go out and play golf all day, and won't ever be Tiger Woods. And God forbid I don't claim any expertise in any of this, because I wish I could write much much better songs than I write, but I think part of it is just having a little bit of a natural tendency to do what you do and then nourishing that as much as you can. Banging out songs…a lot of people don't realize how much work it is to write songs and write, and write, and write, and write. And how frustrating it is and how you have to motivate yourself to do it. In fact, I think a few of my former members in the band just don't realize how much work it is to write songs. Especially songs on a level that you can compete with what is out there, much less have hits and all that stuff.

It takes a lot of work [as he emphasizes that statement by a slight change in the tone of his voice and makes a fist with his hand to his chest]. So, for me, you sit down…you start with a riff…and you've channeled yourself enough to where you can make sense out of a riff pretty quick. Put vocals over it and get it to some state where you can say "this is good" or "this is bad" and continue working on it. And you know, the good ones come quick. "Hemorrhage" came in 30 minutes tops, that whole song was written. "Bad Day" came really quick. "Last Time" came quick. Seems like for me, the songs that we work on and work on are going to sound like they were labored over and forced and not good. I think a lot of it is, like I said, getting yourself writing and writing and writing to where you are receptive to ideas and you recognize ideas and you recognize [snaps his fingers] "hey, that riff is cool and this melody over that would be great" and you just start working from there. So, basically just lots of labor. (laughs) Very labor intensive. And hopefully you have some natural gift to pull it off as well. [pauses] And I wish I had more natural gift! (laughs) I'll take a big dose please! (laughs)

Just then, Tommy walks in with a gym bag.

Carl: And here's Tommy Stewart with a bag!
Tommy: Huh? What did I miss?

Carl and I both laugh as Tommy just stares at us, clueless as to what we were talking about earlier in the evening. Carl then got up to go watch a bit of the Trapt performance. As their vocalist Chris Brown noticed Carl to the side of the stage, Chris told the crowd "That's Carl Bell of Fuel. He's gonna rock you later on tonight." As the guys made their way onto stage a little while later that night and got Ram's Head jumping with "Last Time", I think the entire Baltimore crowd would have thought back to Chris's statement and said "Yup. He was right!"















BY: The Asif - Rockin' Music Reviews
ALL PHOTOS BY: Jim Hendershot