Originally featuring engaging singer Brett Scallions (b. 21 December 1971, Brownsville, Tennessee, USA), Carl Bell (b. 9 January 1967, Kenton, Tennessee, USA; guitar) and Jeff Abercrombie (b. 8 January 1969, Kenton, Tennessee, USA; bass), post-grunge band Fuel came to prominence in the mid-90s by developing a fraternal relationship with their local audience: ‘We don’t want fans, we want friends’, they pointed out. Based in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, USA, the band was formed in 1989 by Bell, Abercrombie and Scallions, with other members passing through including Jody Abbott (drums) and Erik Avakian (keyboards). The band established a strong fanbase along the eastern seaboard through an arduous touring schedule, culminating in the release of a self-financed debut album in 1994. The follow-up Porcelain eventually sold more than 10, 000 copies. As a result the band, by now featuring new drummer Kevin Miller (b. 6 September 1962, USA), signed a contract with Sony Records subsidiary 550, recording their debut Sunburst early in 1998. Taken from it, the single ‘Shimmer’ became a minor hit, featuring in Billboard’s Top 10 modern rock tracks listing for several consecutive weeks and climbed to number 42 on the Hot 100. Before the release of a follow-up single, ‘Bittersweet’, the band took time out to contribute a song, ‘Walk The Sky’, to the soundtrack of Godzilla.
The band’s second major label album, 2000’s Something Like Human, despite demonstrating precious little musical progress, was another highly melodic collection of modern alternative rock. The single ‘Hemorrhage (In My Hands)’ was a major hit on US rock radio and helped boost sales of the album. The follow-up Natural Selection lacked a similar stand-out track and as a result was largely overlooked by fickle rock fans. Miller left in 2004 and two years later Scallions followed suit, leaving the band rushing around to find a new singer having already begun recording the instrumental tracks for their new album. Having been turned down by American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry, Bell and Abercrombie were joined in the studio by Toryn Green to finish work on Angels & Devils. Session players filled in for new drummer Tommy Stewart who was unable to play on the album.
