Firewind -- 'The Premonition' [review]

Firewind - The Premonition
Century Media (4/8/08)
Metal

Just when you thought power metal was dead and gone...

Led by guitarist Gus G. (Nightrage, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil)—who is slowly proving himself a worthy addition to the shortlist of guitar gods—Firewind offers up a heaping helping of power metal in all its epic glory.

Hailing from Greece, the band's method of attack focuses around the driving force of Gus G.'s guitar work, offering up classic power metal with a European twist (there's plenty of keyboard work to accompany the solos). The band offers a nice change of pace in a scene where the lines between subgenres—death metal, industrial and hardcore, most notably—are becoming increasingly blurred, it sticks to its guns and shines as a result. While a bulk of the attention goes to U.S.-based outfits for the most part, at least stateside, there's this huge metal scene in Europe with exceptional bands cranking out album after album of killer material. Add Firewind to that list... and probably place the group somewhere near the top.

Nightrage -- 'A New Disease is Born' [review]

Nightrage
A New Disease is Born
(Lifeforce Records)

Nightrage seems to have made the transition from supergroup to "just a group" as smoothly as possible. While replacing a vocalist is never an easy task, replacing someone as renowned and respected as Tomas Lindberg could have been a deathknell. Instead, bassist Henric Carlsson recruited Jimmie Strimell for vocal duties and then built an entire new unit around the two (Marios Iliopouos on guitar and Alex Svenningson behind the drums).

So never was an album title more apropos: A New Disease is Born explodes out of the gate with the hammering "Spiral," and the new sound is immediately clear. The growls are less gutteral, the harmonies more melodic, the riffs less explosive. But the overall package is just as potent.

While similarities could be found, Strimell does anything but attempt to channel Lindberg. His dual vocal styles offer a great juxtaposition for the band's songs. He can tear up the mike on tracks like "Encircle" and "Death-Like Silence," but just as easily (actually) sing with the best of 'em on tracks like "Spiral" or "Reconcile."

The best part of Nightrage's sound is the driving melodies. There's subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) guitar riffs on a majority of the songs ("Scathing" and "A Condemned Club" especially) that come in unexpectedly to add that extra element to turn straight forward metal into sometime more ...

Rightly so, Nightrage was once at the forefront of the new European metal movement. But this is not the Nightrage of old. The fundamental sound of Nightrage (the soul, if you will) is alive and well in this new beast. While another album or two may be needed to see if this new incarnation of the band has staying power, A New Disease is Born is one hell of a re-debut. Any fan of the thrash/power/death metal blend European bands are perfect at crafting should pick up this album that will end up flying under the radar of most.

Nightrage -- 'Descent Into Chaos' [review]

Nightrage
"Descent into Chaos"
(Century Media Records)


What is there not to love about the Swedish metal supergroup, Nightrage? The group features a veritable who's who from the European metal scene in it's ranks: ex-Exhumation axe-slinger Marios Iliopoulos handling lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars; lead guitarist Gus G. who has previously worked with Firewind and Dream Evil; bassist Henric Carlsson who worked with Cipher System; ex-Septic Flesh drummer Fotis Benardo; and most notably, vocalist Tomas Lindberg formerly of At the Gates, The Crown and The Great Deceiver.

The combined force of the members allows the band to craft sick, melodic metal, heavy on the epic riffs and twisted back beat with the perfect twist of death metal vocals.

It would almost seem as if it was the duty of any fan of heavy metal to seek out the latest Nightrage album, "Descent into Chaos."

The disc, the band's second offering, explodes out the gate with "Being Nothing," complete with machine-gun drumming and Lindberg's comfortable growl. Gus G. and Iliopoulos run rings around each other with each riff, making even the simplest structures seem like epics.

From the opening notes the band sounds tight-as-hell and never lets up. From the choking riffs of "Phantasma" or the intricate guitar-play in "Drug," to the old-school metal feel of "Poems," there isn't a weak link in this set. Even the haunting instrumental "Solus" swings from beauty to brutality in its short couple of minutes.

Of particular note, "Frozen" features Dark Tranquillity's Mikael Stanne contributing some cleaner vocals to juxtapose Lindberg's intense guttural howls. Coupled with that, the song (like most of the others) is chock-full of solos. And speaking of solos, it doesn't get much better than the crushing "outro" guitar work on "Omen" (and I particularly enjoy the ethereal undercurrent throughout the track).

Everyone shines on this album. The guitars are thick, the drumming is spot-on, the vocals are killer and the bass work, though subtle, pretty much holds the package together.

Nightrage might be flying under most people's radar and that's a shame. You have no idea what you are missing and owe it to yourself to check this album out. There is no reason this band isn't being pointed to as leaders in the genre, in the same fashion as The Haunted or In Flames.