Brother Firetribe

[zacharyamelie]

Unlike the new H.E.A.T. the AOR tag is perfect for Brother Firetribe with their new release.

 

Geoff is right it is softer than many of us probably expected. I thought they would rock it up a bit. But I'm good with this sound they have mastered and they are pure ear candy to me. Still not a perfect album, no real fillers other than maybe the Hagar cover, which isn't filler just not something that I think fits on this release. I'm also not really found on the closer Close To The Bone....but a weaker BF track is better than most anyways.

 

I will admit the more I spin this the better and better is gets.

[Guest JoeS]

Agree with Geoff. Was expecting something that hit harder, but what we have is still excellent. I'd have preferred that they went over the top with the production and beefed up the sound with a heavier rhythm section and a vocal that felt more in my face, but it's all personal preference, and this disc is a considerable cut above the majority of similarly styled releases.

I does feel a bit that all the tracks sort of run together, and I'm not sure why that is, because the songs still feel distinct while I'm listening to them, but at the end of the album, I have a hard time recalling individual tracks, with two exceptions.. The two cover songs. I think the Sammy cover works great within the context of the album. Though it felt eerily familiar at first listen, I initially passed it off as just being another great song in the same vein of some of the great 80's soundtrack hits from once upon a time. Now that I've been enlightened, I recognize it, still think it's killer, and don't follow how it should sound out of place on an album that is composed almost entirely in the style of those same 80's soundtrack anthems.

And, of course, Tired of Dreaming. Excellent, excellent tune, but done better three years ago. Also, as an aside, sort of strange to consider this as a 'cover' tune considering all the song-swapping and such that is standard in the genre.

Off the top of my head, Trail of Tears was the standout, but listening again now as I type, these songs are all really, really good! This is the best album of 2014 thus far, and if I had to come up with anything negative to say besides personal preference re. production issues, it would be only to consider how untouchable this album would have been had they had a vocalist of the same caliber as ..Erik Gronwall. Off topic, but the more I think about it, the more I think that he is now the standard, period, among active, known men.

[heavyharmonies]

Agree with the analysis thus far. Musically it's wonderful... but it feels a bit restrained. They needed to let themselves rip and go over the top. BF's music is just perfectly suited to bludgeoning you over the head repeatedly with choruses and lushness and, to use the popular phrase "go to 11". They stopped it at about 9.5.

 

There are more than a few places where a key change combined with ratcheting up the volume and punch would have just taken you into oblivion.

 

As with the LRS album (but better), it feels like they played it safe in places.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's a great album, well worth the wait, but with a few tweaks it would have been an alltime great.

 

I think part of what they're fighting against is that it's no longer new. It's not hearing BF for the first time, so perception is a bitch. You can't "unhear" the first two albums.

 

Also, it's impossible to reinvent yourself every time out and still retain a signature sound. Within Temptation fell victim to this exact same effect this year with Hydra... it's a GREAT album... but it loses points being in the wake of The Unforgiving, which is an alltime great. It's the same thing, and I don't know how you combat it. It's almost as if a band has to have a clunker or two for a few years to then come storming back. Well, should we really penalize a band for being consistently good? When you set the bar high right out of the gate, there's not room to go up.

 

That's one of the reasons I thought Andrew's rating of W.E.T. S/T at 100 was a mistake. I actually think Rise Up is a better album, so does it then grade 103/100? I don't think there is such a thing as an absolutely perfect 100/100 album... by definition it can't exist. By rating an album 100/100, you're in effect saying that the artist in question cannot possibly ever do better, which really does them a disservice. In the here and now, in the heat of the moment, visceral reaction can make an album *seem* like "the perfect 100" but the test of time, in conjunction with subsequent releases, may prove the rating incorrect.

 

Anyhoo, circling back around: had this been BF's debut, it's likely we would be shouting it from the mountain as the greatest thing ever, but in light of their first 2 albums there are places where it feels like the new one could have been just a hair better.

 

P.S If it sounds like I'm cutting down the album, I'm not. It's like faulting Mila Kunas for not being quite as hot as Jessica Alba. Can you really consider yourself a loser in either scenario?

[AlphaMale]

I gave the new disc a pretty good 83%. I agree with all of the comments. I wish it rocked harder but it's still a great release.

[Jez]

It's a great album for sure and I agree totally with Dan when he says that this band has set the benchmark very high with the first 2 albums, (I think I rated both in the 90's), so how are they really going to better what has gone before..I don't rate albums as 100, as there is no such thing imo, so there are only a couple of notches they can go up or equal the previous 2. I'm laying off the verdict on where this stands compared to the other 2 for the time being, as I've only spun it 3 or 4 times so far, but initial reaction is very good

[Glen]

The rating of albums will a discussed issue until the end of time I think.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with Dan and Jez in that no album is / will ever be perfect....i think the highest I have ever rated an album is 95/96% maybe. However, there are folk who rate in a simpler way in that if they like every track on an album its worth 10/10 or 100%. These people tend to have many many albums in their collection which they rate as 10/10 or 100% and I can only suppose that Andrew is amongst these guys. If that's how they roll then fair play.

 

Rather than questioning the rating of WET - s/t as 100% (as I think most would agree its worth at least 90%?) more question rating Gotthard's Bang! album in the 90's.......what does that make lipservice then 130% ??! LOL.

 

Anyway back to BF.

 

I've still only listened to it 3 times, but based on first impressions I think it stacks up well against the earlier releases and I dont mind one bit that its not heavier - BF to me is all about lush AOR and this is delivered in droves.

 

As far as stand out tracks - 2 & 3 must be highlights as these are the 2 in rotation around by numbskull....esp track 2 if Im honest - great track and chorus.

 

Cheers

[KarpetRydOFunk]

I think you lot all know where I stand with ratings. Personally, I'll give out 100's, because, while I agree nothing is perfect, it merely signifies which albums represent my personal standard.

As far as this album goes, I think I like it better than the first two, because of the reasons stated. It's more consistent. It's straight-ahead lush AOR. Favourite track, at the moment: Edge of Forever!!

[KarpetRydOFunk]

This album only gets better! Thats chorus in "Far Away from Love" just kills me.

[zacharyamelie]

That tracks kills me as well. Actually the whole thing is so good.

 

My January to March was bare, but my April and May are crazy good for tunes.

[Glen]

Yeah thats the best chorus on the disc for me. Overall its very consistent - love listening to the thing straight through. Hardly a weak moment.

[zacharyamelie]

I've had the proper cd for a few days now and after multiple spins of it and the previous two release, I realized that as a whole Diamond In The Firepit is their best release. The sound/production is much clearer and better than the previous two releases. In my opinion the new one has 7 to 8 really awesome tracks, while the other two releases have about 4 to 5 really awesome tracks.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

I've had the proper cd for a few days now and after multiple spins of it and the previous two release, I realized that as a whole Diamond In The Firepit is their best release. The sound/production is much clearer and better than the previous two releases. In my opinion the new one has 7 to 8 really awesome tracks, while the other two releases have about 4 to 5 really awesome tracks.

Yessir. This is really the first Brother Firetribe album I can play front to back and sport a woody the entire time.

[Y&TForever]

I think it's a good disc (If I was to put a number on it, I would give it 80%), but there definitely isn't a song on it, IMO, that is as good as Runaways or Wildest Dreams...

[Nightrain]

The problem for some is maybe this is too AOR while the first two is heavier which understandable because Brother Firetribe's personnel came from metal scene so I agree that some think it's good but not great, but songwise I think this one's consistent and share the same strength as the first two. I still prefer the debut slightly but this one is exactly as strong as the sophomore and this opinion came after 2-3 more spins since last time.

 

[Glen]

You see, I never rated Wildest Dreams or Runaways that highly.

 

Good songs yeah, but way too cheesey for me.

 

I think 'Better Or For Worse' and 'Far Away From Love' are better.

 

Havent laid a rating on it yet, but expect it to rank highly......the only thing which (still) bothers me is 2 covers, even if they did write one of them.

[zacharyamelie]

They had a cover on the last one as well 'Chasing The Angels'. It's a thing they do, covers of 80's movie soundtrack AOR tunes, doesn't bother me. Tired Of Dreaming would be amazing had we never heard the Magnificent's version.

 

For me the new BF ranks higher than the new H.E.A.T., more my style of tunes.

 

Wildest Dreams is probably my favorite tune of the past ten years, but Far Away From Love is catching up to it. The production on the new one is way superior and is a reason the new one is better.

 

I've purchased 6 albums this year and when the Pretty Maids is my lowest ranking you know I've bought some killer stuff.