Having been formed in 1987, and after four demos and an EP, US-based Power Metal band THE FURY's first and only full-length album "Sex" was self-released in 1992. Given the energy with which they churned out their demos (three of which were released in 1989 alone!), it is hardly unanticipated that the band also did extensive touring, and not only shared the stage with MANOWAR on their "Kings Of Metal" tour, but also opened for acts such as METAL CHURCH and OVERKILL, before THE FURY's collapse in 1993. In 2013, over two decades after the album's initial release, Italian-based Minotauro Records have blown the dust off of this album, and have released a reissue.

These old tracks have received quite a bit of attention in recent years, with songs such as "Sex", "High Plains Drifter", and "Degeneration" having previously been released by S. A. Adams in 2010 on the aptly named "Unearthed" album. These songs were initially recorded in 1985 by S. A. Adams, featuring the very early work of Mike Portnoy, co-founder and former drummer of DREAM THEATER, so it was a surprise to see these tracks be re-released yet again on the reissue of the "Sex" album by THE FURY.

Regarded by some as an unjustifiably underrated band, and with a musical style reminiscent of bands such as SEX PISTOLS and MOTÖRHEAD, THE FURY's music contains clear influences of Punk and Heavy Metal. Although most commonly labeled as Power Metal, THE FURY incorporates many of the more common motifs found in the 1980s Heavy Metal, with undeniable influences of Hard Rock, Grunge, and Punk, especially in songs like "Little Miss Metal". Other tracks like "Jackque-Hammer" have a definitive Heavy Metal sound, strongly suggestive of bands such as JUDAS PRIEST.

This reissue starts off with a recording that brings back memories of endless hours spent in classrooms as a child, before morphing into the initial track "The Institution", which has strong underlying currents of rebellion and freedom.  The end of the track, in which one hears children on a playground, drives home this feeling of being released from oppression and finally attaining freedom, a common theme found throughout the album. The reissue also contains multiple versions of some tracks, such as three different versions of "The Institution" and "Dance of the Sun". Whilst this is an undeniable treat for any die-hard THE FURY fans, it does edge the total listening time of the album to well over an hour, which can make "Sex" longwinded and repetitive at times, and which can detract from the overall wild, reckless, youthful enthusiasm conveyed by the majority of the material. Nevertheless, it is a good album, and brings back to life some of the music which has sadly become just a footnote in the history of Heavy Metal.

It brings to mind a Black Metal documentary I watched in which one of the pioneering bands of the genre commented that it is impossible to produce true Black Metal nowadays, as the pure form of Black Metal was very much a product of its time, with the political, cultural, and ideological climate of the early 90s being essential for that ultimate Second Wave of Black Metal sound. And I think a very similar thing can be said for Heavy Metal and Power Metal in the 1980s. Whilst new bands can try and capture the sound, their recordings, whilst technically superior, still seem shallow in comparison to many of the masterpieces released 20 or even 30 years ago. This re-release is unique insomuch as it combines the essence and soul of being a band in the middle of the crossover phase of metal with a recording quality that is beyond anything that could have been produced two decades ago, and I would definitely recommend it to any fans of THE FURY.