A couple of years ago I reviewed False Metal,  the debut album by Brother Firetribe, and now the band are set to unleash the follow-up, Heart Full Of Fire.  Actually this album picks up right were the debut left off and everything I said in the review for False Metal could easily be repeated here. For those unaware of the band however suffice to say it is a side project of Nightwish guitarist Emppu Vuorinen and Leverage vocalist Pekka Ansio Heino but the sound is built around keyboardist Tomppa Nikulainen and between them they have produced an 80’s inspired AOR album par excellence.

In truth I’ve been on bit of anti AOR kick of late, but this album along with the new Alliance CD, have gone someway towards restoring my faith in the genre. With Heart Full Of Fire  Brother Firetribe have built upon the foundations of their debut and produced an album which, whilst thoroughly rooted in the 80’s AOR scene, doesn't sound at all dated thanks to modern Euro-style production. If you go back to the band's debut album then the influences at play were fairly obvious to say the least and, at times, bordered on plagiarism. With this album however we see the band maturing their sound without losing any of the fun upbeat nature of the material. The catchy as hell opener Who Will You Run To Now has been playing in my head for days, Wildest Dreams is reminiscent of a heavier Da Vinci and the excellent title track, Heart Full of Fire, features guest vocals from Nightwish's Annette Olzon returning to her AOR roots.

I Am Rock is the next single from the band to be released in their native Finland and shows a slightly heavier side, but still melodic, take on that 80’s AOR and then there's the excellent cover of  Chasing the Angels originally performed by Loverboy’s Mike Reno on the Iron eagle 2 soundtrack. Overall Heart Full Of Fire is a classy album and, as a bonus, the debut is also to be released in the UK simultaneously under the title Breakout so you can get all your Brother Firetribe fixes at the same time. The only downside is, given the current success of Nightwish, fans of Brother Firetribe may have to wait a while before there's any chance of seeing them live...

Let us know your views on Heart Full Of Fire

Track Listing

Who Will You Run to Now
Wildest Dreams
Runaways
Game They Call Love
Play It from the Heart
Heart Full of Fire
Heard It on My Radio
Going Out With a Bang
Out of My Head
Chasing the Angels
I Am Rock

Line Up

Pekka Ansio Heino - Vocals
Emppu Vuorinen - Guitars
Tomppa Nikulainen - Keyboards
Jason Flinck - Bass
Kalle "Calu" Torniainen - Drums