Allegiance

Allegiance is a work on which FIREWIND brought together Gus G.’s incisive guitar, forward-moving rhythm and Apollo Papathanasio’s powerful singing. In fast songs they make use of the dynamism of the riffs, and in mid-tempo the breadth of big choruses, so every song has a clear focus. Welcoming new vocalist Apollo, it is a record on which the band entered a new period of fullness. On “Allegiance,” “Falling to Pieces” and “Ready to Strike,” technical solos also do not stop the songs’ momentum, functioning as service to the melody. Songs like “Insanity” and “Till the End of Time” breathe the band’s full playing too. They balance guitar-hero flamboyance and the band’s unity. It is a record on which the appeal of full power metal can be fully savored.