Flaming Fire: When the High Bell Rings

Not sure what to make of this slice of weirdness. On one hand, When the High Bell Rings, the third album from New Jersey's Flaming Fire, plays like a theatrical, avant-garde rock opera, complete with a multitude of vocalists (male and female) and musicians. Upon repeated spins it comes across simply as an adventurous trip into 60's psychedelia, sort of like a bastard offspring of Arthur Brown, The Go-Go's, Meat Loaf, and Aphrodite's Child. Either way you look at it, the music here is off the wall, with not a hint of commerciality whatsover, and that alone should make this appealing to a select group of listeners. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised to see these guys in the near future at home with a label like ReR Megacorp, the current kings of all that is avant-garde in the world of progressive music. Silly Bird Records (how appropriate) is their current label however. Featuring many layers of female vocals, spoken and sung, and the somewhat narrative male vocals of band mastermind Patrick Hambrecht, this album is pretty vocal rich, relying more on that aspect and keeping the instrumentation sparse save for plenty of percussion, keyboard blips 'n' bleeps, and the occasional vibes and guitars. Things work best when they combine dark avant-garde with an upbeat pop vibe, as on "Fog Machine", a song that for a second almost reminded me of The Go-Go's, except that it of course was much more "out there" and experimental. The tribal sounding "Khar Shabi" is an interesesting piece, with some ominous chanting and percussion, and "The Moon" is full blown, keyboard/effects laced psychedelia. Then again, hints of Frank Zappa or Arthur Brown can be heard on the raucous "Farmer Wolf", a pretty bizarre number that somehow works in a strange way. Apparently these guys are a trip in a live setting, and I can sort of see how this music would go over better in that environment than on CD, where much of their theatricality, makeup, costumes, etc., is sort of lost. If you like avant-garde music with a psychedelic and pop vibe, give this a try, but if you like your music focused and with a sense of purpose (or perhaps melodic) better stay clear.

Track Listing

1. High Bell
2. Farmer Wolf
3. Astral Traveler
4. Dark Night
5. Satellite
6. The Stars That Burn
7. 10 Days
8. Shout
9. Fog Machine
10. Lemon Isis
11. Khar Shabi
12. The Moon

Added: December 31st 2006
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Flaming Fire Website
Hits: 3621
Language: english

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