Just out, the new album from metal giants Firewind
Just out is the new self-titled album from Firewind on AFM Records. Firewind are well known for their amazing guitar sounds courtesy of exceptional guitarist Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil) and for their brilliant vocals. On this release, the band are joined by Herbie Langhans (Avantasia, Radiant, Seventh Avenue, amongst others) who infuses each of the eleven tracks on offer here with a wonderfully expressive force. Although quite rightly, a lot of attention is paid to the brilliant guitar skills of Gus, for me a real strength of this release is the bass and drum rhythm work of Petros Christo (Bass) and Jo Nunez (Drums) which pulls it all together so well. This is classic rock anthems through and through. The craftsmanship, skill and power they bring runs right through every note.
There aren’t any surprises here, it’s what you would expect from a Firewind release – consistency, technical ability, great vocals and good old fashioned heavy metal. Their sound is all about the powerful melodies, big chords and blistering guitar solos. The addition of Herbie brings a new dimension to the vocal performance, and it really shines through on this release.
This new album follows on from their 2017 release "Immortals" and it’s kinda grittier than previous releases. There’s a nice variety in this album, from the sumptuous grand scale of opener Welcome To The Empire which is just what you’d expect from Firewind through the more melodic Break Away to the joyous Dio/Sabbath-like rock anthem feel of Overdrive They all fit perfectly together though into the overall thunderous feel of the album. I particularly enjoyed the quirky Space Cowboy which has an almost glam-rock feel to it. Devour is fantastic; fast and furious from the outset, whereas All My Life slows things down slightly and is a great feel good track and inspiration telling the listener to “Dream your day away, ‘cause I can say nothings out of reach….. All my life…. I’m reaching for the stars”. The final track is an absolute belter and my favourite track on the album, as Kill the Pain blasts out with a loud, noisy, dirty sounding speed metal riot as Herbie takes on a different snarly vocal style. Brilliant.
This is a really good release from Firewind. The latest lineup certainly breathes new life into Firewind and brings the band back to the absolute best, and this is as good as their 2008 release “The Premonition” and 2006’s “Allegiance”. It is, just what you would expect from Firewind, but brought right up to date for 2020. If you like your metal loud, fast and full of scintillating guitar riffs and solos, this is definitely for you.
Firewind…. Right back to their blistering best well worth a LiveWire score of 9.
Tracklisting:
01. Welcome To The Empire
02. Devour
03. Rising Fire
04. Break away
05. Orbitual Sunrise
06. Longing To Know You
07. Perfect Stranger
08. Overdrive
09. All My Life
10. Space Cowboy
11. Kill The Pain
“Firewind” is out now, and available on all major platforms and to buy here.
