FIREWIND

FIREWIND   “Stand United”

By Colonel Angus

Gus G.and FIREWIND have been on my radar for quite a while although not from the very beginning.  It all started for me with “The Premonition” and while it was a good record, nothing seemed to really stick for me.  Sure, Gus G. is a phenomenal guitarist but I need more than just great guitars; I need songs.  I continued to give the band a chance with each release but nothing changed until the year of Covid when the band released their self-titled record.  While the songwriting has improved, I also prefer the vocals of Herbie Langhans over Henning Basse.  This small change has made difference to my ears but again, the focus seems to have shifted from guitars to songs. 

The album starts off in great fashion with an epic opener (and first single) called “Salvation Day”.  It contains all the elements that make a great FIREWIND song; great riffs, powerful vocals, thumping rhythms and great work.  While “Stand United” is a really good record, I wish more of the album was like this track.  The title track delves heavily into the power metal genre and while I’m not a big fan of power metal, FIREWIND do it extremely well.  Take the first two track and blend them together and you’ll get “Destiny Is Calling” which is has some great guitar soloing from Gus G.   

Just when you thought that FIREWIND would slide into auto-pilot and continue with the same kind of tunes, they throw a curveball with the ACCEPT-ish “The Power Lies Within”.  Langhans’ vocals even resemble a little bit of Udo Dirkschneider’s on this song and that chugging riff reminds me of classic ACCEPT.  After that cool detour, things go back to familiar territory with “Come Undone” and while I like it, this is one of the weaker tracks on “Stand United”.  It is well performed but it is a little too by the book.  Luckily, “Fallen Angel” and following song “Chains” return to a more chugging traditional heavy metal style with the former containing a cool chorus and the latter having a lighter metal vibe about it.  The verses have this great riff which is juxtaposed with a very light metal (bordering on hair metal) chorus.  And just for the record, I don’t use hair metal as an insult.  There were some great bands and songs that came out of that sub-genre.

The record ends with a couple of great tracks and one misfire.  “Land of Chaos” and “Days of Grace” are solid metal tracks with the latter getting a little bit of an epic element kind of bookending “Stand United”.  The misfire is a cover of THE ROMANTICS’ “Talking in Your Sleep”.  While I give Gus G. and company props for taking an 80s pop rock hit and making a metal version of it but this one just doesn’t work.  I think the main culprit is Langhans who has a great voice (with a hint of rasp) but this track needs a cleaner vocal.  Again, props for the attempt but it just didn’t work for me.

Overall, I still feel that their self-titled is a better record but I am digging “Stand United”.  It is my second favorite FIREWIND album and while I picked on a couple of tracks, there is plenty to like about this record.  I feel that Gus G. has found a great singer in Langhans and together they are releasing albums that I feel are the cream of their catalogue.  While the early disks didn’t hold my interest, “Stand United” has my undivided attention.