Visually this is an odd one. First things first, I actually really like the cover art. The logo and lettering of the record title are sort of weak, but I do sort of enjoy aspects of the actual artwork's detail. Inside things are pretty minimal, but clean, so that works. However, the lyrics are pretty weak, often rather narrative with forced rhymes and uncreative approaches. The band photo is also totally forced and goofy, as are the members having "names" like Prometheus, Doctor Time, and DJ Blood Sacrifice (a guitarist, not a DJ), among others. Awful. Who could take that seriously, really? But it all makes sense, sort of, once you hear the music... simply because this is not a good CD. And I'm gonna be a dick here, so I apologize, I really mean these guys no offense, but I'm an honest dude, okay? No one would like this CD sans these guys, their friends, and maybe a few other people who live for true heavy metal and think every band of that style is great no matter how bad they stink in reality. It's basically old school styled heavy metal with lots of weak solos, lifeless vocals, and boring midpaced riffs. As is often the case with mediocre bands there are some killer acoustic parts that sound awesome (Why is that so easy?), but there are very few riffs otherwise that stick out to me. Some of the melodic chords in "Hyperion" are pretty cool, but the songwriting here lacks power big time. First of all, there's no damn need for all of these songs run five to nine minutes or more, they drag on and go nowhere. There's not enough variety, nor enough tempo changes to carry that weight. "The Long Walk", for example, has a pretty solid intro, but after a few minutes it keeps going and going for no good reason. The end result of all this is an eight-song disc that runs damn near an hour, and there's maybe a combined 15 minutes of really good material on it, so they're definitely riff writers as opposed to songwriters. I assume the lengthy tracks are drawing from an evident Iron Maiden influence that permeates a lot of this work, but these guys ain't Maiden, you know? Oddly enough the recording is pretty competent, I'll give 'em that. It could use some work, but for a self-released effort it's clear and each instrument has its own space. The tones aren't bad either. It's a little raw and the mix needs some balanced punch, but I can live with it. I can't stress enough that these guys need more practice, though. There are a lot of rough spots in the solos or lead riffs that sound really awkwardly choppy. And the vocals, while actually decent, are just boring. The guy can sing, but I feel like he's not pushing himself, there's no real emphasis or emotion, he just kind of sings everything with the exact same feel. I don't know what more to say. There are hints of talent here but as a whole it's a really bland listen. I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt for having a grasp of where they want to be, but they need a lot of work to reach that point. And, please, lose the stage names... come on...
[self-released]
Running time - 53:03, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: no one song particularly hits me]
Gods of Fire - http://www.gods-of-fire.com
