Raging Fyah knows its date of 'Judgement'

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

August 7 marks 'Judgement Day' for Raging Fyah. The authentic roots rock-reggae band releases its debut album with a live performance at Wickie Wackie in Bull Bay.

Titled Judgement Day, the 11-track album is all Raging Fyah from the notes, to the melodies, to the words and production. Raging Fyah member Delroy 'Pele' Hamilton explained to The Sunday Gleaner recently that the album is two to three years in the making and shows the self-development of the six-member band since its start in 2006.

Consisting of Anthony Watson on drums, Courtland White on guitars, Demar Gayle on keyboards and background vocals, Hamilton on bass guitar and background vocals, Kumar Bent as lead vocal and Mahlon Moving as engineer and background vocals, Raging Fyah started off as a backing band for countless acts before deciding to bring their own talent to the fore.

Hamilton said: "We met each other while studying at Edna Manley School of Music. We were all part of various backing bands and each of us individually felt a desire to be more than that. We felt our music was much more and we weren't fulfilling our talent enough. We had talent deeper than just going on stage and playing couple songs."

Individually, members of Raging Fyah have performed back-up for acts such as Anthony B, the Wailers, Richie Spice and others. As Raging Fyah, they also performed back-up for countless artistes on shows such as Sting and Follow Di Arrow.

Awesome feeling

It was in 2009, however, that they made the decision to take the next step. From there, everything began falling into place with Bent joining the group last year. "It was an awesome feeling when it all started coming together. It's more like a family link-up, we'd get together and talk and cook, and suddenly you'd see a verse start or a chorus, we built a vibe and the songs came together easily," Hamilton said.

The songs, they began performing at a number of live venues to positive reviews. According to Hamilton, the music of Raging Fyah appeals to all age groups, from young to old. The title track of the album, Judgement Day, he explained, was chosen because it was a hit with the fans. Despite this, the first single from the album - which has already been released - is Far Away. The song was produced by the band and speaks to anyone missing a loved one. A video for the song, Hamilton said, will be released in August. Judgement Day will be released on the band's label, Raging Fyah Productions.

Following the album-launch party at Wickie Wackie Live on August 7, the band is looking forward to a six-week tour of the east coast in the United States.

"We're definitely looking forward to that, and to know that we've finished the album, its a milestone unto itself. The journey continues for us. We're going on tour as a headlining act. It's a fulfilling joy,; we've come a long way," Hamilton expressed.

Raging Fyah believes the road is going to be a bright one.

"The band is committed to changing the world, note by note, melody by melody, spreading light in areas of darkness, growing when conditions seem most bleak, demolishing obstacles without remorse," Hamilton added.