Firewind: Days Of Defiance

Firewind released their debut album Between Heaven And Hell in 2002 and over the next eight years, the Greek power metal five piece have slowly built on their early promise with each of their next four outings. In particular the last couple of albums, 2006's Allegiance and The Premonition which came out two years later, have been two of the most convincing and enduring power metal albums around. Add to that the higher profile that guitarist Gus G has received this year thanks to his excellent fret work on Ozzy Osbourne's best album for a couple of decades (Scream) and Firewind would appear perfectly placed to make the move into the power metal top division.

Deciding that if it ain't broke, then don't fix it, Days Of Defiance picks up exactly where The Premonition left off, with both Gus and second guitarist Bob Katsionis, who also doubles up on keyboards, leading from the front in blistering fashion. Right from the opening track "The Ark Of Lies" the guitars and bass smack you about the head, the drums pound with pace and precision and vocalist Apollo Papathanasio unveils one of the most under rated voices in metal. It is a process that is repeated over and over on this album, however the belief and spirit in the band's music raises Firewind above the myriad of bands desperately trying to stand out from the power metal crowd. That said Firewind aren't afraid to alter things slightly, with "Heading For The Dawn" being a heads down gallop in the way that Helloween used to do so well, while "Chariot" is slightly more sophistication with its keyboard layers, time changes and more restrained beat. "Embrace The Sun" takes that a step further, by being positively slow in comparison to the rest of the album and even allowing the keys to take centre stage for a while.

Whilst they can also deliver some fantastic mid-paced stomping metal, Firewind are at their ferocious best when drummer Michael Ehre (making an impressive Firewind debut here) and bassist Petros Christodoylidis steam along at full pelt, with the glorious "Heading For The Dawn", or "Losing Faith" being amongst the best examples of how no holds barred melodic power metal should be. The highlights continue to come thick and fast, with "When All Is Said" highlighting Gus' tasteful lead work and "World On Fire" allowing Apollo to use his phenomenal voice to full effect.

With a third consecutive release of a ridiculously high standard, Firewind deserve to be right at the forefront of this genre and it has to be said that you really will struggle to come across a better collection of metal anthems anywhere else this year.

Track Listing
1. The Ark Of Lies
2. World On Fire
3. Chariot
4. Embrace The Sun
5. The Departure
6. Heading For The Dawn
7. Broken
8. Cold As Ice
9. Kill In The Name Of Love
10. SKG
11. Losing Faith
12. The Yearning
13. When All Is Said And Done

Added: February 13th 2011
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Official Firewind Web Site
Hits: 4327
Language: english

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