ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 4, 1982
By Steve Newton
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JUNE 4, 1982
By Steve Newton
Fist, a band made of up four Ottawa natives, is the Canadian entry in the international heavy metal ‘package’ tour that played Kerrisdale Arena last Friday (May 28) and is now in its third week of a grueling road trip schedule. Along with Britain’s Motorhead and Switzerland’s Krokus, it will travel extensively through its home country and the United States before the concert dates run out.
Fist differs from most heavy metal bands in that it utilizes a lot of keyboards on its albums and during its show. While guitarist and vocalist Ron Chenier admits that “having keyboards is something you’re not supposed to do in heavy metal”–he justifies their use with the belief that they add to the melodic content of Fist’s songs. Says Chenier, “There’s that little thing that I feel is missing in heavy metal, and that’s melody–a really strong melodic line–and we try to bring that out without sounding too ‘bubble gummy’.”
The Toronto-based band, whose members include Chenier, bassist and vocalist Jeff Nystrom, drummer Bob Patterson and keyboardsman Ivan Tessier, has a single out called “Thunder in Rock” that is taken from the album of the same name, the group’s second release on A&M Records. The album used to be called Fleet Street, another of its tracks, but the popularity of the “Thunder in Rock ” single brought about a change in title and record packaging.
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Says Chenier of the Motorhead, Krokus, Fist show: “It’s just heavy metal flowing all through the whole evening, but it’s three different types of heavy metal. We do our keyboards feature, plus the heavy metal background, which is wailing guitar and very raspy, ballsy vocals. Krokus is in the heavy vein as well, but it’s more straight forward, a sort of ‘let’s go, rock -em-sock-em’ music. And Motorhead is very, very direct, like ram it, ram it right down your throat.”
