ALBUM REVIEW: Firewind – Firewind

And so, it came to pass that FIREWIND had another vocalist in their ranks. Okay, that might be a little bit harsh on the Greek power metal band and their commander-in-chief Gus G, but the announcement that Herbie Langhans was replacing Henning Basse, it would be fair to say that not much of an eyebrow was raised, certainly not as much as the news that Bob Katsionas, who had been with the outfit since 2005, was leaving to focus on other projects. Now a four-piece for the first time since then as well, the band’s self-titled studio album – their ninth overall – is out now via AFM Records.

Given Gus G‘s resolute vision for the last twenty years, it will come as no surprise that Firewind the album is another record packed with everything that made FIREWIND the band so cherished. Welcome to the Empire builds impressively until it explodes into guitar dexterity and pacey riffs with Langhans‘ soaring vocals slotting in seamlessly; Gus explained when he joined that he was the closest the band had had since original singer Stephen Frederick and that is clearly evident – for all that the usual component are present and correct, it has been a while since FIREWIND have harked back to a more old-school vibe, which will no doubt please those who have followed them since the very beginning.

It’s a long-standing, unwritten rule, that it doesn’t matter how well you can play on new albums if the material follows the same old tried-and-tested formulas. Power metal gets a free pass sometimes on this, for it can be quite difficult to move away from certain elements, however it’s immediately clear when a band is just better than a lot of the genre. FIREWIND are such a band; lead single Rising Fire is four minutes of fist-pumping excellence that gives anything SABATON have written a run for their money and the galloping triplets in Orbitual Sunrise are reminiscent of IRON MAIDEN at the height of their 1980’s pomp. Staying with a more NWOBHM feel is Overdrive; less like MAIDEN and more in the JUDAS PRIEST camp, but the power and weight behind it pushes it in front of every other track to be the best on the album.

Of course, there was always going to be a ballad of sorts and that is Longing to Know You. Its placement in the middle of the record is an odd one – these are usually the songs that are reserved for the end to round things off – but it’s big, bombastic and fully feel-good, which is everything that a power metal ballad should be. As things progress, though, there’s something missing to complete the bingo card: a song that musically fits right along with the others but lyrically leans too heavily on the cheese. Mercifully, Space Cowboy gives FIREWIND the full house, a charming intergalactic ditty that actually connects with the aforementioned Orbitual Sunrise and Longing to Know You to form a mini-trilogy, telling the story of a lone astronaut watching the over-exploitation of Earth’s natural resources from his view in the galaxy.

It might seem like FIREWIND are just painting-by-numbers on the surface, but delve in closer and there’s a lot more depth than first meets the ears. If Herbie can be persuaded to stay on for another couple of releases, it could spell a revival for a band who, for a lot of this millennium, have been at the apex of power metal’s fire-soaked mountain. Recent years have seen a stumble, but Firewind will give them a firm foundation to make another attempt at the summit.

Rating: 7/10

Firewind is out now via AFM Records. 

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