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Band: Firewind Album: The Premonition
Reviewer: Nick
The opening of the album reminds me of Metallica’s Master of Puppets, acoustic guitars with a classic feel to them setting the tone for something much different. Once “Into the Fire” kicks into full gear you know what you’re in for. However through a switch between the intro and verse, and the verse the song is a bit slow to pick up. But once you get to the chorus there is no reason you wouldn’t get into this song full force. For a good number of the songs on the album I tend to think the verses are made to look a little sub par simply due to awesome choruses. The next song, “Head Up High” kicks off with an awesome but short instrumental intro which sets up a multi-part verse that will keep listeners into it through every listen and every single verse. Chorus is upbeat and fantastic. The second chorus is followed by back and forth guitar and keyboard solos that are some of the best on the album. All in all this is probably my second favorite song on the album. “Mercenary Man” kicks off with a bang right into a strong guitar lead and transfers to one of the best sounding verses I’ve ever heard. Broken into three sections the first is a single simple cutting guitar under fantastic vocal melodies and the other two follow heavier and just as good. Chorus is also an epic sounding bit to be reckoned with. My favorite song on the album it ironically comes with my biggest complaint. The first part of the verses should be twice as long; they are too good not to be. Also after the instrumental section there should not just be a final chorus, but there needs to be another verse there somewhere as well. “Angels Forgive Me” starts with a keyboard lead and builds through a verse to what might be my favorite chorus on the album. As with much of the album the verse is not just one simple part, but in great fashion it is broken into two separate musical bits that really add a lot of flavor and diversity to the album. The next track on the album, “Remembered” also features broken verses. First there is a dark drum and vocal bit followed by a full band more upbeat bit, and they play off of each other well. Chorus sounds somewhat epic with a driving vocal melody that is sure to have you singing along. “My Loneliness” is a bit of a love/hate track for me. The verse lines all start with the phrase “My Loneliness” and musically it is lighter than most of the album and I tend to like it, but for whatever reason sometimes when I listen to it I want to bludgeon Apollo to death if he says “My Loneliness” one more time. Either way I always enjoy the chorus of the song which tends to be the standout part of the song, and it’s a chorus that stands out on the album as well, especially the second one which transfers into an amazing guitar lead/bridge and then a fantastic guitar solo. “Circle of Life” starts out with a intro that makes me think it will be my favorite track on the album, but unfortunately it ends up being my least favorite track on the disc. Still, something that says a lot for this album is that even this song is a decent song. And I’d probably like it as much as the rest of the album if not for the chorus which just annoys me for some reason. Also the song is simply blander than the rest of the album. Next up is “The Silent Code”, which manages to improve over “Circle of Life” but still ends up being my second least favorite track on the album. For this song I once again can’t point to many stylistic difference that would make it sub-par to the rest of the album, just doesn’t suit my taste as well as the rest of the album. After those two songs go by with little interest the special treat of the album starts with its very obvious keyboard lead. Followed by drums faded in and finally guitars “Maniac” kicks into full force. On first listen I could not believe how good this musical hit transferred into a metal song. Not as good on average as the original material on the disc, but the track is certainly a unique and great cover I look forward to every time I pop the disc in. “Life Foreclosed” is the final track, and one of the heaviest. Thick ominous lyrics and vocal deliveries power this song and it works perfectly as a closer. Some people may be turned off by the riffing style in the verse, but I think it works well and leads perfectly into a very melodic yet heavy chorus. Musically the album delivers in varying amounts of goodness from start to finish. My biggest complaint about the album is the mix. Keyboards are brought out for leads and solos, but when there is background work being done you have to focus and struggle to hear the keyboard part being played, which sucks because I often enjoy a lot what I can make out. Also the bass is a bit quiet throughout the album, and is under-utilized. Gus G. is the focus of the album, and he delivers throughout with awesome riffs, leads, and solos. Apollo has no weak points on the album, and is often giving the strong Russell Allen type performance that leads a song forward and as such he really impressed me. He was unfortunately not with the band when I saw them open for Sonata Arctica, and I hope I can see them again some point in the future to check out his live performance. Mark Cross delivered a good drum performance, but like the bass (was there bass? Half the time I’m unsure) work there is nothing really stands out to be concerned about. Nick’s Rating: 86% |
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