Ozzy is back, sounding lively and focussed. The cd kicks off with ‘Let It Die’. Not the best start, with horrid fuzzy singing and too loud overly domineering bass, but it’s saved by some good riffs. ‘Let Me Hear You Scream’ is a straight forward rocker, with nice riffs and a great solo. Track 3, ‘Soul Sucker’ is very good; lots of tempo changes, great riffs and plenty of solos.
Next comes ‘Life Won’t Wait’. This starts like a cheesy ballad but soon gets very heavy and interesting with some good singing. ‘Digging Me Down’ has a well played acoustic intro and has some really good riffs (quite Black Sabbath like in places). This is one of the best tracks with lots of tempo changes and crunching riffs, hammer down drumming and heavy bass. As with many tracks the lyrics and singing seem quite dark, menacing and personal. This is very much so on ‘Crucify’ which is another varied track with a slow start but building into some good riffs and plenty of tempo changes. Next is ‘Fearless’ which features a chunky riff, rumbling bass, anthemic chorus and a good, if too short, solo by Gus G (the new guitarist, althoughI hope this doesn’t mean the end of Firewind). The next track, ‘Time’, has an atmospheric cello / keys intro with nice guitar. Quite balladic but with a heavier chorus. ‘I Want It More’ comes next and it’s a good heavy rock track reminiscent of the songs from the Down To Earth era. This has one of the best guitar solos on the cd. ‘Latimer’s Mercy’ is another menacing track and has a catchy chuggy / chunky riff with good tempo changes while ‘I love You All’ is a mercifully short acoustic ending.
I liked the cd but not the production sound which is very similar to Black Rain. It’s too fuzzy, over programmed, bass dominated too often and too complicated. However, it is a good cd overall with plenty of interesting, varied tracks.
Guest Review by Chris Greenwood
