Fuel - Something Like Human

More than twenty years since its release and Something Like Human still holds up as one of the most emotionally committed hard rock records of its era. Released on September 19, 2000 on Epic Records, the second album from Tennessee's Fuel was produced by Ben Grosse alongside guitarist and primary songwriter Carl Bell, and it arrived at exactly the right moment to connect with a massive audience hungry for post-grunge that had real melodic craft and genuine feeling behind it.

The album peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200, moved over 1.1 million copies in 2001 alone, and achieved double platinum certification from the RIAA. Lead single "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" reached number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the band's highest-charting song, its mournful intensity and Brett Scallions' raw vocal performance earning it heavy rotation on rock radio and MTV. But the depth of the album extends well beyond that single standout. "Last Time" opens with immediate force, "Scar" and "Knives" deliver the kind of bleak, paranoid energy that made post-grunge so compelling at its best, and the shimmering closer "Slow" ranks among the finest moments in the Fuel catalog. The bonus edition adds an acoustic version of "Hemorrhage," a cover of Elton John's "Daniel," and Led Zeppelin's "Going to California," all of which fit the album's dark, emotionally drained atmosphere more naturally than you might expect.

Despite its commercial success, Something Like Human never received a vinyl pressing until Wargod teamed up with Fuel and Sony/Epic in 2021 to correct that oversight. This black vinyl edition includes liner notes written by founding member and primary songwriter Carl Bell, making it the definitive physical edition of one of early 2000s rock's most enduring records.