There’s no denying that you know what you’re going to get with a new Brainstorm release. Heavy Power Metal with great vocals, well written songs and expert musicianship. And at this stage, three factions of readers have formed, those who want more of the same, those who hope for something just that bit different from this ultra-talented band, and those who saw the words Power and Metal close together and promptly stopped reading. Best to concentrate on the first two then…
The thing is, sometimes I really wish I could un-hear a band – for positive reasons (though yes, there are many 90’s bands I wish I’d never heard!)…like a voluntary musical amnesia, where you could experience hearing a band for the first time once more, experience what you first thought about the first album you heard by them – that kind of thing. Now OK, sometimes you really need a band’s back catalogue to see the journey that they took to get where they are now. But when a band reaches it’s pinnacle so early, as Brainstorm did, where else can they go? And when, like with this album, a Record company press release is making much about a “return to the sound of…”, it can make that band’s recent albums feel redundant and hail a u-turn in a band’s sound. Problem is…I didn’t think Brainstorm’s kick-ass attitude and sound had differed much at all since “Soul Temptation” or “Ambiguity”. Also I happen to think “Liquid Monster” and “Downburst” were just as good as their predecessors, and on a similar level musically. However, I will concede – and here’s the crux – they all do sound rather similar. They all have expertly written songs with great hooks, brilliant guitar and full-on Metal vocals – again vocalist Andy B. Franck is in fine form as always, but after eight albums with Brainstorm as well as seven with the similar styled Symphorce, I’m starting to feel like I’ve heard some of these hooks and vocal lines before. I’m not surprised – that’s a lot of songs and Franck’s rip-roaring delivery never holds anything back so I guess it’s going to happen.
I’m well aware that whole previous paragraph could be construed as rather negative, and that wasn’t my intention because, like all Brainstorm releases, “Firesoul” is a very positive event. Songs like ‘Descendants Of The Fire’, ‘Shadowseeker’ and the title track are such damn fine examples of the band at the top of it’s game. I especially enjoy the band when they momentarily step out of their usual sound for a while (it makes their signature sound have much more impact when they return to it) like with the choral-style intro to the more epic, mid-paced ‘Recall The Real’. So no, I don’t dislike this album at all – it’s just I would love this no doubt fantastic album to be the first thing I’ve ever heard by the band – because I know it’s a damn fine album…it’s just there are moments when it does sometimes sound very familiar to songs the band have written previously.
So I envy you, yes you, that person new to the band who thinks “yeah, that Barker guy talks bollocks most of the time but I’ve gone through the effort of reading his bloody review and I’ve been wanting to check out Brainstorm for a while, so why not now?” And why not now! That brings me back to the first two categories I mentioned oh so long ago at the start of the review – If you already love Brainstorm – or you are a fan of the genre and this is your first taste, then you are going to love this! Brainstorm are as good as ever, they’ve got the energy, intensity and power that we want from the band and this is another top quality release from a top quality band.
(7/10 Andy Barker)
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