Firewind
The Premonition

I had lost sight of Firewind and, in all honesty, I'm sorry. I've always followed the band since their debut "Between Heaven and Hell", a melodic power metal album that, in its early days, propelled the Greek band to international success. However, it should be noted that within Firewind, there's something that many bands in this genre lack: the desire and willingness to always move further away from the past to focus on finding an increasingly different and original sound of their own.

The times of "I Am The Anger" seemed dead and buried but, when I listened to "The Premonition" I had a slight tremor. Slight, because the first track, "In To The Fire", did not impress me that much. The classic "made in Firewind" toy: rock-solid riffs, synths that, in truth, could have been spared and, last but not least, the overly predominant role of the keyboards. "Mmmh.... Not a great start...". That was my initial impression. Fortunately, immediately after, with "Head Up High" begins the miracle of 2008! Where even the best Astral Doors left me with a bitter aftertaste, Firewind manages to blow it all away once more! And ever better! The power metal of "Head Up High" and "Angels Forgive Me" is devastating; "Mercenary Man" is a track that, despite the heaviness of the riffs, despite the near-silence of the keyboards, despite Apollo Papathanasio in full grace (the true driving force of the entire band) who seems to mimic in the verses of the song, shows us the side of the new Firewind. A band with all the attributes, unafraid to cover an '80s hit like "Maniac" (soundtrack of the film "Flashdance"). And finally, as per the script in almost all power albums, there is a ballad "My Loneliness" that, unlike its other infinitely diabetic friends, is a delight to listen to, without being a tear-inducing dirge but containing atmospheres capable of capturing the attention of even the grumpiest metalhead.

In conclusion, "The Premonition" may not be the novelty of the millennium but it can very well stand its ground (even coming out on top) against much more famous and renowned power-heavy metal bands like Hammerfall, Dream Evil, Astral Doors, Masterplan and company.

Greece may have beaten us all at the 2004 European Championship.... maybe it's really time to start exploring its musical culture as well. Forget about Teutonic metal!

Firewind: do it better!