On October 17, 2020 a band from Brisbane, Australia entitled FUMAROLE (the word 'fumarole', as a noun is formally defined as the mouth of a volcano from which hot gasses and fumes emerge) released "Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes";  the band's first full album release–following an August 10, 2018 initial release of an E.P. entitled "Mountain".  However specific songs from "Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes", including Terra Supremia Live at the Banshees Bar and Artspace, as well as, Valley, and Ghost Smoke  have been pre-released as singles or as an additional track on Deluxe copies of their first release.

"Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes" opens with "War Cry" - a faster song with a hooking lick that uses accidental scale degrees above the lower E string to more firmly ground the song in E minor.   At about two minutes and thirty second into the track, the key changes to A minor with contextually punchy rhythmic accents that the band collectively & successfully invigorate - much to the credit of Ryan Stewart's touchy double bass drum feet.

The second album track "Valley" also includes a video;  the lyrical theme involves "Then I got to / The Valley of the Damned / Then I saw you / There with nothing left". The band somewhat seriously conveys a harder rock feel - but more toward that of a"ROBIN TROWER" or a "Stevie Ray Vaugn" style.   No lyrical theme is of a stronger importance beyond that of "rocking out" through the bluesy rock style of preference.

"Dessert worms" - the third album track opens as a blues with the distorted bass of Dan Bartsch; Ryan Stewart adds a casual beat while Kurt Warder adds perhaps improvised leads including scratchy rhythm guitars and bending (up) toward the tri-tone, purposefully, never quite reaching it.   Approaching four minutes into the track, the tempo & drive increases–replete with seventh chords.  The guitar jams with a bluesy speed - yet toward the song end - the influence of old BLACK SABBATH grows pervasively louder with each and every note.

"Mothership" - the fourth album track heavier & less bluesy until about two-minutes and twenty seconds into the song.   The heaviness succumbs to a bluesier touch for Kurt Warder's guitar solo; after which the tune more resembles the heaviness of the first two minutes - most characterized by the heavier drum attacks of Ryan Stewart. Ryan Stewart opens the fifth album track "Depth Dweller" with a drum solo just short of ten seconds.  The heaviness continues; then turns blusier more with Kurt Warder's introductory guitar solo:  the music during the veres retains the rockish blues structure–and overpowers any lyrical theme.  Ryan Stewart grows aggressive with his style - nearly asserting the heavier edge while Kurt Warder cries in a bluesy wail - "Noooo!" - we are a blues band.

"Crucible" - the sixth album track, begins among the faster tracks on the album.  At one minute and about thirty seconds into the song - the rhythmic tempo drastically slows for dramatic effect - for the guitar to fathom the low E string - which continuously recurs for each accented beat.  Ryan Stewart adds cymbal crashes every two beats - with Dan Bartsch adding a the bottom fifth, the bottom note of a 6/4 chord, every fourth measure–if notated in a 2/2 time signature.    At about two minutes into the track - a steadier drum beat resumes; and for the last two beats of the four measure 2/2 phrase, in lieu of the Kurt Warder & Dan Bartsh play the minor seventh tone of the dark hard rock bluesy based style (not a seventh chord but the seventh scale degree).

"Terra Suprema," - the seventh album track, is mostly Kurt Warder playing a lengthy guitar solo - as though to add the mitigating factor that "yes, we are a blues band" to Ryan Stewart, however much he might object - and he pounds & knocks substantive assertions, yet only does so musically.    By about three minutes into the track, Kurt Warder uses flange - with perhaps subtle bits of wah.  At this point I believe that the war between Ryan Stewart's metallic BLACK SABBATH influence, versus Kurt Warder's Stevie Ray Vaugn influence, is clearly won by the listener.

"Remote Controllers" - the eighth album track, opens more heavily than bluesy - not that the minor seventh, as a neighboring scale degree, is not more than accidentally denoted.   At about one minute-forty five seconds into the track, the song opens - almost to a nineteen-seventies thrash–and this is clearly my favorite part of the album, because I feel the energy as Ryan Stewart rings the cymbal bell at every measured beat.  Throughout the verses Kurt Warder's vocals recall the "Iron Man", the "Grand Poobear" of heavy metal himself - "The Blizzard of Ozzy".   At three minutes fifteen seconds into the song, Dan Bartsch has a near ten second bass solo:  the song continues forward almost through a jam session - firmly reminiscent of BLACK SABBATH.

"Ghost Smoke" - the ninth & final album track also has a lyric video released as a single by the band on April 19 2019.   The verses though the song have less blues influence than much of the remaining release - but with more use of the tri-tone.   The song ends with a more metallic than bluesy guitar solo before fading - like the distant knell of a tolling clock.