Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Firewind
Label: Century Media
Release: 2008
Greek power metal outfit Firewind has a pretty colorful history behind it. The band was founded in 1998 by Greek guitarist Kostas Karamitroudis (Kostas goes by the nickname Gus G., so nobody has to twist their tongue), primarily just so he could show off his out-of-this-world guitar chops. Of course, that didn’t last long, and the industry quickly spotted one of the best guitarists of the younger generation, so Gus G. soon found himself in bands like Mystic Prophecy, Dream Evil, Nightrage and Arch Enemy (he only played with them as a “live session” guitarist). By 2006 Gus G. had gradually left the bands he was playing with and finally devoted himself fully to his own Firewind. He gathered a crew of seasoned veterans around him, with the outstanding vocalist Apollo Papathanasio out front, and in 2006 released the first album with the full lineup, Allegiance.
The Firewind story continues today with a new album called The Premonition. Firewind still remain firmly anchored in melodic, thankfully cliché-free power metal, which they occasionally blend with speed metal influences and, since Allegiance, with some eighties hard rock too. So the music Firewind serve up thankfully doesn’t wear thin after the first few moments of listening, which can happen with plenty of power metal bands today that start singing about dragons, swords, elves and similar power metal junk in the very first verses. You won’t find that with Firewind, but you will find plenty of mighty power metal anthems whose choruses often sound hard rock-tinged. The lion’s share of that influence comes from the brilliant vocalist Apollo, who I can easily say is right now one of the best vocalists of the younger generation, one who can be compared to giants like Dio and Jorn Lande for sheer vocal power, and Apollo often manages to conjure up that erotic charge that only David Coverdale (Whitesnake) is capable of. Just listen to the anthemic Mercenary Man or the half-ballad My Loneliness, for example. But it’s not only the excellent Apollo who lifts Firewind out of the sea of average power metal bands, it’s also the brilliant guitarist Gus G. He often delivers pure headbanger moments with inventive riffs and spectacular solos that recall the Malmsteen school. The first such moment greets us right at the start with the opening wrecking ball Into the Fire, with its exceptional structure that kicks off with a calm acoustic intro, which very quickly explodes into staccato riffing, speed metal moments, Apollo’s high-flying vocals and trading solos between Gus and keyboardist Bob Katsionis. Definitely one of the more aggressive songs in the Firewind treasure chest and one of the album’s best moments! Another interesting moment on the record is the cover of the disco hit Maniac, best known from the movie Flashdance, which is done in the typical Firewind singalong style but still sticks out quite a bit from the overall picture of the record. Speaking of covers of famous eighties hits, the Finnish Turisas did a much better job with their cover of the Boney M classic Rasputin.
With The Premonition, Firewind definitely haven’t reinvented the power metal genre, but they manage to play a pretty worn-out genre in a way that sounds fresh and interesting. Compared to Allegiance, The Premonition is a big step forward in quality, carried above all by the fantastic Apollo/Gus G. duo. Firewind are already one of the better European power metal bands, and if they keep going in this direction, we can expect really big things from them.
Lineup
Apollo Papathanasio – vocals
Gus G. – guitar
Petros Christo – bass
Bob Katsionis – keyboards
Mark Cross – drums
Production
Fredrik Nordström
Tracklist
1. Into the Fire 06:29
2. Head Up High 03:46
3. Mercenary Man 03:28
4. Angels Forgive Me 04:57
5. Remembered 03:38
6. My Loneliness 04:04
7. Circle of Life 04:14
8. The Silent Code 04:48
9. Maniac 04:55
10. Life Foreclosed 04:52
