The Fiend originally formed in 1982 and quickly became the pioneers of north east UK hardcore punk. Early support slots with the likes of Conflict, One Way System and Onslaught saw them build up a sizeable following and over the course of the next 4 years they released several, now much sought after, singles and ep's. By 1987 though, despite a heavy gigging schedule, The Fiend were caught up in the decline of the punk movement as a whole and the decision was taken to call it a day. Fast forward 20 years and an innocuous phone call from a old mate asking for any old demo recordings seemed to leave the guitarist Robby curious to see if he could pick things up from where they left off. The original members had all gone their seperate ways and original bassist Rob Robertson, Robbys brother, had sadly passed away in 1990. If this was going to work, Robby had to assemble a band that were willing to put in the time and effort and after trying different musicians over the last couple of years, they now have a settled line up to rival the best of them. October 2009 saw The Fiend entering Landscape Studios in Stanghow near Guisborough. The brief was simple...give us an album that reflects the force of our live shows ! "The Brutal Truth" does exactly that. Described by one person as "like listening to a nail bomb being thrown into a church", this album is already being touted as comparable to anything ever released by Discharge or The Exploited, two of the forerunners in the hardcore punk genre. A full European tour as support to the Varukers in late 2010 unleashed them on to an unsuspecting public and gained them an army of new fans. If you like your music loud, proud and blistering, "The Brutal Truth" ticks all the right boxes. For more info on the band,check them out at www.myspace.com/thefiendpunk