DippoMagoo As a power metal fan, there are a few rather major bands in the genre I still haven’t looked into as much as I probably should, and one of those is Greek band Firewind. Obviously, I’m well aware of guitarist Gus G. and his insane technical prowess, but the band, on the whole, has never really grabbed my attention, until now. I first discovered them with their previous album Few Against Many, and while Gus and keyboardist Bob Katsionis impressed me with their musicianship, the songwriting seemed rather boring and forgettable, like the band was focused more on showing off their technical skills than on writing memorable songs, so I wasn’t exactly looking forward to hearing any new albums from them. Then I heard the lead single “Hands of Time” from the upcoming album Immortals, and was immediately impressed. After hearing the entire album several times, I’m happy to say the band has managed to win me over, striking the right balance between being technically proficient but actually writing fun and memorable songs to go along with that excellent musicianship.

First off, there’s one major change that happened in between albums and that is the departure of former vocalist Apollo Papathanasio. I’m sure many fans were disappointed by the news as he’s a great singer with a very distinct voice, but thankfully the band decided to move on without him and they brought in Henning Basse, another well-known singer who immediately makes an impact on the music and fits in perfectly. Henning has a very raw and powerful voice that helps give the music a bit of an edge, and he does quite a bit with his voice throughout the album, sometimes singing with a slight grunt, other times providing the kind of soaring vocals required for speedy power metal and sometimes singing in a much more relaxed voice, particularly on some of the softer sections, of which there are quite a few on the album. He does a great job all around, and I think he’s the perfect singer for this new version of Firewind.

Speaking of which, this album feels like somewhat of a restart to me. Obviously, the core of the band is still there and Gus G. still leads the way with his brilliant guitar playing, but I find stylistically this album feels more like a traditional power metal album at least compared to their two previous albums, in that there’s a much bigger focus on the melodies this time around and there are some pretty huge vocal melodies throughout, with the guitars still adding a bit of an edge, but the music certainly doesn’t get as rough or as dark as what was heard on Few Against Many. It’s certainly a much lighter and more melodic album on the whole, with more of a focus on catchiness, though obviously there’s still a ton of memorable instrumental sections, where Gus and Bob go back and forth with for some pretty epic guitar/keyboard solos.

Another thing to note is that this is a concept album, based on ancient Greece, and while that subject has been covered by metal bands before, this album provides an enjoyable take on the history, and obviously it’s appropriate considering most of the band members are from Greece. The track “Ode to Leonidas” does the best job with the theme, starting off with a nice acoustic section leading to pretty cool voice over from the perspective of Leonidas, which gets the song off to a great start.

I mentioned it already, but opening track “Hands of Time” is an instant winner and is the main reason I was curious enough to give the album a go because it really is that good. After a brief intro with some electronic beats, the melodic guitar leads kick in and the track turns into a super fast power metal track, with fun verses, great riffs, a huge sing-along chorus, and of course an excellent solo section with dueling guitars and keyboards. Henning Basse instantly steals the show, with his huge soaring vocals, and it’s the kind of melodic, super catchy power metal track I will never get tired of and also the kind of track I felt a previous couple of albums were lacking, so it certainly gets things off to a promising start.

I will say, while I don’t think anything else on the album is quite as fun as that track, it’s a very strong album overall, with no real duds. I also mentioned the song “Ode to Leonidas” previously. Well, after its big intro it turns into something of a mix between epic heavy metal and classic power metal, with fast tempos and a huge chorus, but it also has some pretty heavy riffs and some of the melodies remind me more of epic heavy metal, and so it’s quite the interesting track and certainly one of the highlights. Similarly, “Live and Die by the Sword” also starts off with an extended acoustic section, this time allowing Henning to show off some of his softer vocals, before speeding up and turning into another very epic and rather heavy track with some memorable vocal and instrumental sections. Those are the two longest songs on the album, and also two of my favorites.

Elsewhere, tracks like “We Defy” and “War of Ages” are still fairly fast, though a little bit slower than previously mentioned tracks, and they bring back a little bit of the roughness found on the previous album, though they’re still fairly melodic overall and are both have catchy choruses. The last really fast track on the album is “Warriors and Saints”, possibly the fastest of all, and it has some slight neoclassical flourishes from the guitars, as well as some nice acoustic sections, but it’s the chorus that really stands out. Likewise, “Rise from the Ashes” is a mostly mid-tempo track, which also has a bit of a rough edge during the verses, though its chorus is spectacular and possibly the best on the album.

On the softer side, we have the ballad “Lady of 1000 Sorrows”, which is a fairly nice track which really showcases Henning’s softer vocals nicely, and it has a pretty nice guitar solo in the middle as well. Lastly, we have the instrumental title track, a brief but very fun track which starts off fast and heavy before slowing down a bit and allowing Gus to provide a very beautiful solo in the middle that demonstrates not only skill but an ability to write beautiful melodies. The bonus track “Visions of Tomorrow” also features multiple extended instrumental sections, and it’s another excellent, mostly mid-tempo track with a pretty huge chorus.

Overall, Immortals is quite the surprise for me, as I wasn’t expecting too much after being less than impressed by Few Against Many, but it seems a new singer and a renewed focus on fun, memorable songwriting overall technical showmanship have allowed Firewind to excel in new ways, and help kick 2017 off with a great album. Recommended for all fans of melodic power metal, who enjoy a mix of great vocals and impressive of musicianship to go along with the expected speedy tracks and huge choruses. I actually think fans of the band’s previous works may be disappointed, but personally, I’m very pleased with the album and I hope the band can build off of this and do even better things in the future.

originally written for myglobalmind.com: http://myglobalmind.com/2016/12/27/firewind-immortals-review/

Kev Rowland Take one look at the cover, and you’ll know what this group is all about, just one man, Gus G. These days he is of course best known for being the current sidekick for Ozzy, although given the reception that Sabbath have been getting for the new album (and they destroyed Auckland on the first night of the world tour – easily one of the best gigs I have ever attended), one has to ask how much longer that gig will last. But, this band were originally formed in 1998 and he has also guested with groups such as Arch Enemy, as well as being known for many years as a guitar wizard, so it is more than a little unfair to just call him Ozzy’s guitarist, as his history is much more than that. In fact history was one of the reasons for this live album, as originally it was advertised as being an album that would be based on the 10th Anniversary shows and that lots of rarely-played material would be featured. That hasn’t transpired, but what we do have here is a very solid performance from the guys.

When visiting their website and going to the band page, what is apparent is that although it hasn’t been updated recently, the photo of vocalist Apollo Papathanasio has been removed as he is no longer in the band (although this isn’t mentioned). This is a real shame, as he is an incredible singer and he sounds as if he was really enjoying himself, and puts in a great performance throughout, even on the songs on which he didn’t originally feature such as “Between Heaven and Hell”. Gus is a great guitarist, and for the most part he plays the part of a guitar god well as opposed to showing off just because he can.

Of course fans of the band will be after this as it features the last recordings of Apollo, while anyone into power metal will really enjoy this, so it’s a shame that it also contains one of the most naff cover versions I have ever had the misfortune to come across. I mean, “Maniac” as a heavy metal song? Yep, the one from ‘Flashdance’. It is as bad as it sounds…

Overall a really strong and powerful album, just don’t play the penultimate number as it will leave you scarred…..

J-Man Embrace The Sun

Firewind is certainly among the more popular modern power metal outfits, and Days of Defiance is an album that was widely praised as one of the best Euro-power metal albums in recent memory. Although I haven't been a follower of the band for a significant amount of time, I was blown away at first listen by Days of Defiance. What Firewind has done here is taken everything that's great about European power metal, stripped away that unnecessary layer of cheese, and created a killer album to go down for the ages. This isn't the most innovative or revolutionary album out there, but the musicianship and compositions are so excellent that it's easy to excuse the band from a slightly derivative approach. Firewind is head and shoulders above the competition, and Days of Defiance is perfect proof of that. I'd recommend all fans of power metal to give this a shot.

The music is fairly standard Euro-power metal - it's the stellar compositions and arrangements that really set Firewind apart from their competitors. This isn't a terribly unique or original album, but who cares when the music kicks this much ass? Tracks like "The Ark of Lies" and especially the breathtaking instrumental "SKG" prove Firewind's brilliance in its purest form. The technical capabilities of the musicians here are impeccable, to say the very least. Keyboards in power metal are usually there to add extra bombast and atmosphere, but Bob Katsionis proves that he isn't here just for some neo-classical arpeggios and symphonic chords. He has some amazing shredding solos - as a keyboard player myself, it's great to hear a band utilizing their keyboard player as much as Firewind does here. The lead guitar work from Gus G. is also spectacular; he's a multi-faceted player who can transition from blazing shred-solos to melodic riffing in the blink of an eye. That's honestly one of the greatest things about Firewind - there's nothing quite like hearing professional and skillful musicians playing incredible music. Firewind is simply a fun band to listen to; that in itself is a shining asset.

The production is certainly bombastic and powerful, but there is a raw edge to the sound that keeps too much cheese from creeping its way in. I personally love the sound of Days of Defiance.

Conclusion:

Days of Defiance served as my introduction to Firewind, and calling it a great entrance point would be an understatement. If you like many of the concepts behind European power metal but are lactose intolerant (i.e. don't like cheese), you'll definitely want to check this album out. I'll go with a confident 4 star rating for another top-notch effort from Firewind. This was one of the best power metal albums from 2010 - fans of the genre shouldn't miss out on this gem.

Pelata Woah! Not what I expected at all! This is an aggressive, fire-breathing monster of a power metal record! Honestly, I was a bit amused at the name "Firewind". It struck me as typical, cliche, and almost immediately jaded my opinion before even hearing the album. But as soon as the opening track began barreling out of my speakers, every bit of humor I got from the band name got incinerated by the intense riffing of Gus G.

Gus, also a member of Dream Evil (2010 edit - now Ozzy's right hand man), is the star of this record not only with his riffs but with his passionate, way-beyond-skilled lead playing to boot! Listen to the harmonized dual leads on "Warrior" and try to not raise the horns in metal praise! Gus isn't the only killer to be found in Firewind though. Vocalist Stephen Fredrick (Ken Ziner) is phenomenal with his gutsy, melodic performance. He's a breath of fresh air in modern power metal. Far from a Kiske-clone, his raw, low-end melodic delivery is powerful and inspiring. Brian Harris (drums) and Honstantine (bass) prove to be a powerhouse rhythm section as well handling all the double kick-drum galloping and driving grooves with ease.

Every tune on 'Between Heaven And Hell' is worthy of mention, but that'll spoil the surprise. I already mentioned the opening title track and "Warrior", so I'll give you a couple more to whet your appetite. "Pictured Life" is a strong, mid-tempo number with hooks the size of Texas. "Northern Sky" begins with a beautiful clean guitar and lead theme before diving into a river of molten metal giving this instrumental piece a serious kick in the ass! Even without vocals, Gus G. manages to drive the guitar hooks directly and permanently into your brain. "Destination Forever" is a speedy, melodic killer with breakneck power and a very memorable chorus.

Ok, that's all I'm giving away (2010 edit - assuming you haven't heard this album by now). This is quite possibly the Power Metal record of the year for me (2002). Its not just melodic, not just loaded down with amazing guitar work, not just sporting killer vocal melodies, it's also heavy! The production of David T. Chastain is strong, clear and rich making this one incredibly fun to crank up. Believe me, I'm the first guy to call the Cheese Police on a power metal record so if I tell you this one is worthy of your 15 bucks, you gotta believe me!

Time Signature Kill in the name of metal...

Genre: power metal with balls

"Days of Defiance" has all the things that I like about power metal. There is focus on melody and pompuousness (although we are not dealing with epic power metal as such), and there are catchy choruses galore that you cannot help but to sing along to. Just check out tracks like "Chariot", "Embrace the Sun", "Heading for the Dawn" and "Kill in the Name of Love".

Another thing that there is focus on is the musicianship itself, and there are some virtuous moments on the album - especially in "SKG" which is pretty much a vulgar display of power (metal) in that it displays how technically skilled these musicians really are.

There is, happily, a distinct lack of cheesiness on this album, and nowhere does my cheese-o-meter react to the music. Actually, I think that there is a good and heavy punch to Firewinds music on this album, and there are even a couple of thrashy elements now and then. In addition, they also draw on classic metal in places, and Iron Maiden and Judas Priest seem to have served as primary sources of inspiration.

There's only one ballad, and those who have read some of my other reviews know that I am not a ballad-hater, but certainly very picky when it comes to ballads. The ballad in question is Broken" and I really like it. It is simple, touchy, catchy and just the way a rock ballad should be.

The vocalist, Apollo Papathanasio (Apollo! Now that's a f*cking heavy metal name!) has a big and powerful voice, which at times remind me of Graham Bonnett's efforts in Rainbow's "Down to Earth". I have been a fan of Graham Bonnett for a long time, and now I am a fan of Apollo, too.

Recommended to fans of power metal, classic metal and even fans of rock music in general.