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Greek heavy metallers Firewind return with their new album 'The Premonition', and with it they bring a no frills, no filler, balls to the wall approach that is certain to go down well with music fans.
It's a trimmed down approach - with the ten tracks on this disc clocking in at just over 45 minutes - which seems to hearken back to days of old, when space on an album was limited to that which would fit on two sides of a record, when bands had to try and make the best use of the space available to them. Today that is not an issue, space is almost unlimited, especially with the dawning of the digital age, but Firewind have trimmed, have optimised, have made sure that all of the ten tracks on 'The Premonition' belong.
Kicking things off with 'Into The Fire', easing us slowly in, starting with only an acoustic guitar, before the rest of the band slowly, one by one step forward to take their curtain call, and then all hell breaks loose.
It's finely crafted, it's full of guitar wizardry, it's full of power, of strength, of brutally uncompromising desire to take no prisoners, to accept no substitutes, to prove the world wrong, and make them take notice.
Well congratulations are in order, Firewind have done just that, and if you don't take notice now, I don't know what these boys are going to have to do to make you listen.
The highlight of the album is the cover of 'Maniac' from the movie Flashdance. Strange choice of cover for a metal band you might think, but Firewind have taken it, and made it their own. Turisas did it with Boney M's 'Rasputin', and now Firewind have done it. Take a huge song, and make a metal anthem out of it.
That's all there is to say really...
Lineup:
Apollo Papathanasio - Vocals
Gus G. - Guitars
Petros Christo - Bass
Bob Katsionis - Keyboards
Mark Cross - Drums
1. Into The Fire
2. Head Up High
3. Mercenary Man
4. Angels Forgive Me
5. Remembered
6. My Loneliness
7. Circle Of Life
8. The Silent Code
9. Maniac
10. Life Foreclosed