2020 will be the year of the return to business of Konstantinos Karamitroudis, better known as Gus G with Firewind. With his solo album "Fearless" released in the meantime, the former guitarist of Ozzy, who caused a sensation in 2010 on "Scream", had put his Firewind project on hold. But this year, the band is releasing his ninth opus with an eponymous title.Bob Katsionis, the man with the keyboards, is absent, as is Henning Basse, the singer, replaced here by Herbie Langhans (Avantasia, Voodoo Circle, Sinbreed, Beyond The Bridge and Seventh Avenue).
Firewind's music is always somewhere between a melodic metal and a melodic hard rock.Gus G., whom his followers can find in Dream Evil, Mystic Prophecy and Nightrage, is one of the best contemporary guitarists. Adept of Malmsteen, the Hellenic artist multiplies the guitar shots in this new work which should catch, first of all, the fans of Yngwie (for the soli), of Primal Fear (for the atmospheres) and of the memorable "Stand In Line" of Impellitteri (for the melodic style).
Firewind opens the hostilities with a very hard track that takes us back to Judas Priest on the verse then forks towards a chorus worthy of Magnus Karlsson. And the firepower does not weaken on the following tracks. From 'Devour' to 'Kill The Pain', the muscles are out and the war melodies are legion letting sometimes appear the shadow of Dio and Graham Bonnet.
The only thing that calms down the game, in this ocean of hammered rhythms and lightning-fast solos, is the very successful ballad 'Longing To Know You' which appears like an island in the middle of the storm, 'Orbitual Sunrise' which wanders through the land of consensual melodic hard rock, the mid-tempo 'Overdrive' with Jorn Lande and 'Space Cowboy' which could pass for the hit of the opus.
Firewind is back and he didn't come to laugh. An album intended above all for those who like very speedy metal and guitar.