Firewind - Forged By Fire review
Band: | Firewind |
Album: | Forged By Fire |
Style: | Heavy metal, Power metal |
Release date: | January 24, 2005 |
A review by: | Malcolm |
01. Kill To Live
02. Beware The Beast
03. Tyranny
04. The Forgotten Memory
05. Hateworld Hero
06. Escape From Tomorrow
07. Feast Of The Savages
08. Burn In Hell
09. Perished In Flames
10. Land Of Eternity
11. I Confide [Japanese bonus]
+ Tyranny [video]
+ Firewind Documentary / Burning the Earth Live 2004 [video]
I guess most of you know who Kostas Karamitroudis is, right?
No? Well, if I say Gus G. then, do you know now?
I though so, there are only few others that has become so famous in such a short time, even if Gus is mostly famous for being one of the dreaming evils.
Now he has left Dream Evil to focus more on his own band, Firewind.
A band that's not even near as famous as Dream Evil, but a band where Gus himself is the boss and a band that he can tour as a want with.
Firewind is about to release their third full-length album, "Forged by Fire", this is the album that shall bring the success Firewind need. But is it really that good? Will ever Firewind conquer with Dream Evil?
Many questions and very few answers, the only thing I can say is that Firewind has evolved a lot since the past two albums.
First of all have they added a much better singer, Chitty (Yes, that's his name, or at least nickname) Somapala from Sri Lanka, that's got a voice that sounds like a mix between Ronnie James Dio, Klaus Meine and Tony Martin. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is not a bad mixture.
And then I think the whole band is better, Gus included. All arrangements are good and the songs is better, and they vary a lot, you'll get heavy metal songs mixed with older hard rock and eighties metal songs, everything in the same package.
The typical powerish sound is gone.
Their past two releases, "Between Heaven And Hell" and "Burning Earth", wasn't that successful here in Europe, the US Power Metal they played wasn't really accepted here I think. But they did better in Japan, where also "Forged by Fire" has been doing fine (it was released in Japan some month back). And hopefully will this new Firewind also conquer some European fans, because the music is more made for Europe this time.
Among the strong tracks Gus and his boys are giving us are, above all, "Tyranny", the "hit single" as Gus said, that track is the catchiest one, a chorus that won't be hated by anyway.
But also songs like "Escape from Tomorrow" got a catchy chorus, one of those that will be stuck in your mind after a couple of spins.
And "Hateworld Hero", Firewind's "tribute" to Black Sabbath during the years with Tony Martin, a good tune that exchange between mid-tempo and faster, but the chorus is the best part here too. And even the Scorpions-oozing ender "I Confide" (Japan Bonus) is good.
On the other hand, if we shall bring forward some less good tracks, I'll have to say the opener "Kill to Live", that's not really a bad track, it just don't get to me, it's eighties Heavy Metal-oozing touches really don't make me go wild.
And then I'm not that fond of Instrumental songs, so I'll have to say "Feast of the Savages", even if both Gus and the guest (Marty Friedman) does a great job.
But I strongly recommend bands of Heavy Metal / Heavy Hard Rock to check this album us, and I promise you, since Somapala joined, much has happened with Firewind, so maybe even you that didn't like their first two albums might find out that this suit you better.
A great release, and I'm hoping for many more in the same veins.
Check Out: "Tyranny", "Hateworld Hero" & "Escape from Tomorrow".
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