Firewind return to the fray with this, their fifth album, and quite frankly it is unfeasibly good. I haven’t been able to stop playing it since I received it. In fact, if I believed in giving full marks for new releases, this would probably get the full ten available. However, I feel that classic genre-defining albums should gain their greatness over time, ergo I’ve pulled back slightly but this is the most enjoyable CD I’ve heard this year. Every song on The Premonition is excellent and shows a band at the top of their game in every way, shape and form. 

In the great scheme of things The Premonition doesn’t have a full crowd of guests to make it an event (like Avantasia or Ayreon), it’s probably not one of the year’s most anticipated releases and Firewind aren’t quite in the top division of metal acts just yet. It’s not overblown and bloated at just at over forty-five minutes long, but it does deliver in spades. If you’ve ever liked Firewind previously or even dabbled with power metal then you should dash to your local store (or get online) and grab a copy of this record as it is by far their beat work. Yes it is a bit of a cheese-fest in places but I defy anybody out there not to be overtaken by some of the outstanding choruses that appear on this disc. 

One of my pet theories is that all songs would be better played in a heavy metal style (best example: Oratory’s version of Eternal Flame) and on The Premonition Firewind take on Michael Sembello’s Maniac (from the film Flashdance) and make it totally their own with Gus G.’s guitar histrionics subtly backed up by Bob Katsionis’s keyboard prowess. That isn’t to say that the original songs aren't equally as good however. The first single Mercenary Man, for instance, gallops along at a fair old pace and has one of those melodies that stay with you for ages and you can’t help humming it wherever you are. A special word should go out to vocalist Apollo Papathanasio who didn’t participate in the band’s last UK trek but here gives a commanding performance. 

There simply isn’t a weak link on The Premonition, it totally eclipses the whole of the band’s back catalogue which is no man feat given the excellence of that sequence of CD’s especially Allegiance. When we reviewed said platter we noted that the, “only real crime is a slight lack of originality and the absence of any real killer track that would have made it stand out from the crowd.” That is definitely not the case here as the song writing here is fabulous with Remembered being particularly good, no make that fantastic. 

I know that this will be in contention when I come round to thinking about my albums of the year and even if it doesn’t make the top spot, I doubt that I’ll find a more enjoyable way to spend three quarters of an hour in the near future.

Let us know your views on The Premonition

Track Listing

Into the Fire
Head Up High
Mercenary Man
Angels Forgive Me
Remembered
My Loneliness
Circle of Life
The Silent Code
Maniac
Life Foreclosed

Line Up

Apollo Papathanasio – Vocals
Mark Cross – Drums
Gus G. – Guitars
Petros Christo – Bass
Bob Katsionis - Keyboards