Metal Reviews

"Savage Souls" has leaked, and I downloaded it out of curiosity even though I had sort of gone off the band. I found their stuff on Regressus and Never-Ending to be incredibly samey.

Anyway, this first album without Gus G could be their best (I'm so far only halfway through). Everything just sounds so fresh and as if a lot more time has been put into it compared to the previous albums. It could be Gus leaving to concentrate on Firewind is the best thing that could have happened to them.

Hmmm... I've always been meaning to check these guys out.

Well, this new album gets a big

They are in my list of "I have to hear something".

Are you deaf ?

Not, i don't speak english very well.

They are in my list of "I have to listen something"

Better this way?

What he means is try before buy. Must hear something, before he goes out to get it...get it!

Now playing - Sins and Sorrows

What a kick ass song. This is how I wished Firewind and Dream Evil would sound. Heavy riffs with some high range vocals, instead of the deep aggressive stuff I've heard in the past. Gus G has the ability to right great songs; he just always picks shitty vocalists, IMO. Although, the new Firewind should turn some heads. I'm going to check out some of this band's (Mystic Prophecy) older stuff.

1 - Gus G isn't in Mystic Prophecy anymore
2 - Dream Evil has "deep aggressive" vocals? :?
3 - The MP singer (RD) has a more aggressive voice than any of the three Firewind singers.

You're an odd lad on occasion, Ness.

1 - I knew that, I guess I never stated it though
2 - They don't? Hmm... I'll have to play Evilized again. It's been a while.
3 - No way. I remember "Buuuuuuurning Earth" with deep vocals kind of like Rage. I could be wrong though.

These are bands I never got into strictly b/c of the vocalists. Then again, I was a newb when I heard all those albums.

And I'm not odd, I'm special.

I guess it was the way you seemlessly launched into the Gus G thing that confused me a bit.

As for Dream Evil's vocals - they are midrange for the most part, certainly lower than your usual power metal vocals, but nothing like RD from Mystic Prophecy.

The first two Firewind albums have quite deeps raspy vocals, but not as aggressive as RD (in my opinion). Chity Somapala, who sings on the third Firewind album (out last year) sounds more like Tony Martin.

I preferred Firewind's first vocalist than the one who sang on Forged By Fire, but now he's gone too.

I am having a listen to Savage Souls at the moment. I havent heard any MP since Regressus, which i thought was good. Also downloading Never-Ending at the same time

Me too, but Chity was great as well. I'm not sure Apollo was the right choice to succeed him.

I cant remember the dude's name (1st vocalist), but he got the ass because he refused to perform live on stage. What the hell was wrong with that guy? He has a great voice, maybe he just wasnt confident singing live.
I expected huge things from Firewind, especially after the first album, which blew me away. Since then they havent performed to expectations. Burning Earth was alright and Forged By Fire has its moments, but they've lost the thing they had with the first album. Maybe Gus G needs to leave Firewind as well, maybe go back to Dream Evil, cause they really fucking need him back. The band is falling apart at the moment

Gus won't go back to Dream Evil because they're not a full time band. That's also the reason Snowy Shaw left. The other four organise the band around their jobs, but for Gus and Snowy, their bands are their jobs.

The guy on the first two Firewind albums is called Stephen Fredrick, he now sings for Kinrick, who also have Stian L Kristofersson and the guitarist from Vainglory in their ranks. I think he doesn't play live because he doesn't like having to drop everything else in his life to go on the road for a few weeks - he's not a young guy anymore, he must be nearer 50 than 40.

I find that strange. You join a metal band, so you are expected to do things like play live gigs. How can a band improve and get themselves known if they cant play live, or play live but with a temp singer cause the main singer wont do it....

Well remember, the first Firewind album was recorded as a project more than a band. Gus G and Konstantine recorded their aprts in Greece, Stephen Fredrick and Brian Harris did theirs in the US and David T Chastain put it all together. Gus and Stephen have never met face-to-face.

I loved Fredricks voice, he sounded like a heavier version of Sotto! He also sang in the two Kenziner albums, top notch neoclassical stuff, especially their second effort called "The prophecies"

As for Gus, I interviewed him after the release of Firewind's third album, and he clarified this band was his top priority, and as it turned out it really was! But I don't think Mystic Prophecy will suffer greatly from his departure, there's just too much talent in that band to go to waste! Besides, it was Liapakis' project all along, and quite frankly I consider them one of the top power metal acts at the moment (but then again I'm Greek so what do you expect )

Oh, and also on the Chastain remark, the guy is really a guitar hero producing factory! He discovered Gus while he was at the states to study guitar, Jarno Keskinen as well (the Kenziner guitarist), that's why you see some common musicians in all these Leviathan bands (Chastain's label), like Fredrich and Brian Harris.

And those of you that haven't checked out Chastain's solo albums do so asap, top us guitar power, especially the two first albums with leather on vocals.

I have heard Savage Souls, and I think it is kind of weak. There is a power metal-by-the-numbers feel to it. It just sounds kind of uninspired and unmemorable to me.