:: Firewind - The Premonition

Firewind

Over the course of their previous four full-length efforts, Greece based power metal/hard rock act Firewind have built up a considerable following, with each album gaining more critical acclaim than their previous effort. Hot on the heels of what was undoubtedly their most successful release to date, Firewind are back with album number five ‘The Premonition’. And once again, it’s another winner. With an undeniable Metallica influence, ‘Into The Fire’ eases the album into action with some darker acoustic sounds. But it isn’t long before Gus G. lets loose with some fiery metallic riffs, with the remainder of the band injecting plenty of speed and aggression to follow suit. Papathanasio seems to have finally found his heavy and more commanding voice, which compliments the speed and drive of the band’s opening statement. A subtle Dio sound can be heard in some of Papathanasio vocal lines in the rocking follow-up track ‘Head Up High’, while the album’s first single ‘Mercenary Man’ and ‘Angels Forgive Me’ are catchy slices of hard rock that recall a heavier Thin Lizzy influence in places.

Both ‘The Silent Code’ and ‘Remembered’ are certainly two of the album’s real gems, where the mix of traditional heavy metal, speed and memorable melodic hooks are brought together in true balance, while the album’s sole ballad ‘My Loneliness’ manages to avoid the standard clichés with Papathanasio’s vocals giving the song some real feeling behind the words. The group’s cover of Michael Sembello’s ‘Maniac’ is perhaps the only weak moment on the album. Although the band provides a solid rendition of the hit, the keyboards sound too close to the original, which inevitably renders the song a little too cheesy to be taken as anything substantial. However, the band does manage to redeem themselves with ‘Circle Of Life’ and ‘Life Foreclosed’. Given the high standard of ‘Allegiance’, it had me wondering if the band could top it with their follow up release. And while the differences between their last album and ‘The Premonition’ are small, I feel that Firewind have just managed to take things a fraction further than before, and in the process keep fans satisfied in the meantime.