Firewind

Firewind is the ninth album, bearing a self-title, on which FIREWIND organized the elements that serve as the band’s calling card. Gus G.’s flowing guitar, thick riffs, clear choruses and the strong voice of the newly joined Herbie Langhans raise the songs’ momentum a step further. It is a record that presented the band’s essence anew. On “Welcome to the Empire,” “Devour” and “Rising Fire,” there is not only power metal with a sense of speed but also lyrical melody and mid-tempo weight, so the whole album’s undulation is large. Songs like “Break Away” and “All My Life” breathe the band’s full playing too. The guitar sounds not to show off technique but to set the songs ablaze. As the start of a new chapter, it is a persuasive record.