Year: 2020
Total Time: 47:27
Label: AFM Records
New release from the leaders of the Greek Power Metal scene… do we even need to mention who they are? Let’s see what we have heard in the preview of their upcoming self-titled album “Firewind”.
Gus G. impresses us as always with his guitar technique and it is obvious that the man is a master of the six-stringed goddess. More impressive however, is its increasingly solid synthetic line. While I have enjoyed all of FIREWIND’s albums to some extent, his inspiration has been inconsistent at times. The band’s new, eponymous release, however, seems to be made of a compact, full-bodied material, which is evident throughout the album. However, there is something in their new compositions, which is perhaps more reminiscent of Gus’s personal work than a FIREWIND release…
Although he is a regular contributor to the album, a lineup change for the band is definitely worth mentioning. On March 9, 2020, it was announced that Bob Katsionis would quit the band in order to focus on his production studio and his other projects. Also, once again, we find a new singer, behind the microphone of FIREWIND. The band parted ways with singer Henning Basse who left for personal reasons and replaced him with Herbie Langhans, who has worked with SINBREED and AVANTASIA in the recent past. This addition is admittedly very good for the band. His style fits perfectly and is no different from that of their most iconic singer, Apollo Papathanasio.
By balancing perfectly between the Epic and the Power element, “Firewind” surprises us from the start. The first impression it gives you is the maturity in the composition of the songs, leaving more space for them to grow inside us. Somehow they found a way to present all their talent as a whole, without flooding the tracks with unnecessary, loquacious points. The production and mixing of the album probably helped with this too.
With “Welcome to the Empire” and “Rising Fire” you will get your typical FIREWIND fix, but “Orbitual Sunrise”, “Longing To Know You” and “Space Cowboy” are the ones that will help you better understand the maturity that was mentioned above. Connected lyrically, they are a kind of Sci-Fi story about the over-exploitation of nature, as seen through the eyes of a lone astronaut spinning around the earth in his capsule and perhaps some of the album’s most beautiful songs.
Question: Is this album an attempt to repeat the high level and magic of the previous FIREWIND’s masterpieces “The Premonition” and “Immortals”? Answer: Definitely “yes”! But does it succeed doing so? “Firewind” album with its eleven songs, is an honest, dynamic comeback for a band that needs to be recognized for its overall contribution to the genre. FIREWIND makes their intentions clear with this album. They mature, they continue with passion what they have started and, yes, their new album is a worthy addition to your collection.
Rating: 7,5/10
Editor: Fanouris Exintavelonis
Related Link: FIREWIND – Official Page
