CD REVIEW: BRAINSTORM – Firesoul

Label: AFM Records

Release Date: April 15, 2014

Rating: 8.5/10

Reviewed by: Robert Kitay

I have to admit, on my first listen through “Firesoul,” I was not overly impressed. I’m not exactly sure why, the vocals by Andy B. Franck were fantastic but for some reason it didn’t click with me. The opening track “Erased By the Dark” didn’t grab me upon first listen, the second track “Firesoul” was a solid track, but featured prominent backing vocals by the lead singer all while he was singing lead (a pet peeve of mine), and after that everything after seemed to blur. Maybe I was expecting more of a power metal album with big sing along choruses which are missing here, for this is more of a traditional metal offering along the lines of Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. If fact, at times Andy B. Franck seems to be channeling Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford and great vocals are featured throughout the album. Luckily I decided to give it a few more spins, because now I can’t seem to listen to this disc enough.

The album opens with “Erased by the Dark,” which is probably the heaviest and most aggressive track on the album. This song took me a few listens to bring me on board, although now I quite enjoy it. I do think it was a poor choice for an opening track, as it just doesn’t have the big hook that some of the other tracks have.  The second track “Firesoul” as I said before is a solid track, but featured Andy B. singing backing vocals for himself. I personally hate this technique, although we have been seeing it more and more over the last several years. After a few listens I have learned to accept it here. This song has a monster riff and a huge hook. I love this song. The third track “Descendents of Fire” is a more melodic track, although still heavy. Not really one of my favorite tracks on the album but it features a great guitar solo. The fourth track, “Entering Solitude” opens with a great powerful riff and has some great vocals, somewhat reminiscent of early Queensryche. A great track. “Recall the Real,” the fifth track opens with orchestral vocals and again a strong riff. This is a great power metal song, great chorus and strong clean vocals. Great song.

The sixth song, “Shadowseeker,” again features strong riffs and vocals, and is a little faster than most of the songs on the album, but not one of my favorite tracks. The seventh song, “Feed Me Lies,” is by far my favorite song on the album. It features the best of everything on this album put in one neat package. Great riffs, great lyrics, haunting vocals, big hook, guitar melodies, standout drumming – everything. I find myself repeating this song over and over. “What Grows Inside” is another faster tempo track. I wouldn’t call it a standout track, but enjoyable none the less. The ninth track, “The Chosen,” is another great track with standout guitar and vocals, which really seems to be the theme of this album. The album finishes with “…And I Wonder.” This is a bit of a slower track, again with great lyrics and a great vocal performance to go along with it. Kind of hard to rate this album. It really grew on me after my initial disappointment. I’ll give it an 8.5, only because it took me a few listens to draw me in.

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Category: CD Reviews