Firewind – The Premonition
Century Media – 25 March 2008
By Ryan Starr
Last year
Firewind gave me one of my favorite power metal releases of the year. And like any hard working band, they are back this year with a new album.
The Premonition covers all the bases and features their signature almost anthem rock style. However, I think
The Premonition is a step down from
Allegiance. The album feels flat and inconsistent in parts. For example, the first track
‘Into the Fire’ starts off weak with an acoustic power chord intro, which is followed by an awesome riff. If the song started off with that ass kicking riff, it would have really set the tone for the rest of the song and the album.
‘Mercenary Man’ is another song that really suffers from that problem. It starts off ok, then goes to a lame verse, then gets a lot better at the chorus. Unfortunately, a lot of the songs go back and forth from good and bad. It’s a pity honestly, because the good parts are first-rate. It seems like they needed to spend some more time writing.
But let’s talk about the one song they didn’t write. That’s right, there is a cover, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why they chose this song. The song is
‘Maniac’ by
Michael Sembello. You know the song,
“She’s a maniac, maaaniac on the floor”. I’m truly puzzled by this choice, and I’m also confused about how to feel about this. Should I be pissed? Or this is a joke and it’s ok to laugh? While I don’t understand the choice, they do a great job at covering the song. Actually, it’s way better than the original. But that shouldn’t surprise you, because who likes early 80’s pop music?
In closing,
The Premonition could have been one of the best releases of the year. However there are little things that cause it to fall apart. Now who knows, maybe it will grow on me. But I’ve given this quite a few listens, and for now, my opinion stands. And now, i leave you with this
Flashdance montage featuring the
‘Maniac’ cover.
Official Firewind Website
Official Firewind Myspace
Official Century Media Website
