Embedded Files
FIRMAMENT “For Centuries Alive”
FIRMAMENT “For Centuries Alive”
By Dark Starr
FIRMAMENT is a German band and this is their second album. I’ve seen comparisons to THIN LIZZY, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, UFO and others. I have to say of those three bands, the only one I can hear in their music is BOC, and it’s mostly about the chorus hooks and sometimes the guitar work. Overall, I think the closest comparison here is to IRON MAIDEN, but even that isn’t a slam dunk. However you label this, and whoever you compare the band to, though, this is a strong old-school metal album with a lot of charm.
“Solarions Wake” starts the album. Acoustic guitar gets things going in classic style. The track turns harder rocking as other elements enter later. The piece is intricate and classy and turns more metallic later. It’s about a minute-and-a-half long and purely instrumental. Seeming to come out of the previous track, “Pulsar” has a real vintage IRON MAIDEN vibe. It’s frantic and edgy and really rocks.
The twin-metal guitar attack that starts “A Legend Of The Fall” is on fire. It’s also decidedly IRON MAIDEN-like. The cut is a fierce and rather raw and punky stomper. Again, the references to MAIDEN are prominent here. I love the guitar solo on this, and the whole cut really has a lot of fire and passion.
“Swear By The Moon” is intriguing. It has a nice contrast between more melodic sections, frantic MAIDEN-like stuff and some more mainstream NWOBHM styled sounds. It makes for a dynamic and varied number that really works well.
“Anthem For The Spotless Mind” is next, and driving metal is on the menu. I dig the galloping guitar part. The choruses on it have some great hooks. In fact, the chorus reminds me a little of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT. It is another smoking hot metal stomper. The instrumental break seems like what you might get if you crossed BOC with IRON MAIDEN.
“Brother Of Sleep” is a fierce and fiery metal stomper. I can make out hints of QUEENSRYCHE, but there is almost more unique power metal and symphonic metal at play. It is dramatic and powerful. It’s also one of the highlights of the set. The guitar work as “Starbeast” gets going is on fire. It evolves to more of a mainstream hard rock song, but there are still plenty of metal elements at play.
I love the melodic guitar fills on this “Realms Of Distant Wonders.” The meaty metal riffing is all class, too. It isn’t a huge change, but it just seems to work especially well. It’s a driving metal stomper that manages to incorporate some rather BOC like guitar stuff. It’s also another standout of the disc. On “The Empress And The Foundling” we get another ferocious metal stomper. It is mean and so tasty. The instrumental break features some killer guitar work. That brings this excellent set to a close.
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