Everybody’s favourite Finnish melodic rockers Brother Firetribe are back in 2020 with a new album, new record label and a new guitarist.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Brother Firetribe
ALBUM: Feel The Burn
LABEL: Odyssey Music
SERIAL: OMN-20474
YEAR: 2020
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Finland
LINEUP: Pekka Ansio Heino – vocals * Roope Riihijärvi – guitars * Jason Flinck – bass * Tomppa Nikulainen – keyboards * Hannes Pirilä – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 I Salute You * 02 Arianne * 03 Night Drive * 04 Chariot Of Fire * 05 Bring On The Rain * 06 Love Is A Beautiful Lie * 07 Ticking Away * 08 Battle Ground * 09 Candle In The Window * 10 Rock In The City
RATING: 90/100
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
Everybody’s favourite Finnish melodic rockers Brother Firetribe are back in 2020 with a new album, new record label and a new guitarist. Change has definitely flowed underneath the BFT bridge since we last checked them out in 2017 when their previous album ‘Sunbound’ was reviewed.
Back in February 2020, founder Erno ‘Empuu’ Vuorinen stepped down from his role in the band citing time constraints at his other major day job with Nightwish. New boy Roope Riihijärvi is now onboard, so we’ll assess his credentials further on in this article. Because of this change, I was quite keen to hear this latest set seeing what differences (good and bad) were evident.
The Songs
Leading off with ‘I Salute You’, the synth introduction is trademark BFT. Big chorus, driving rhythm section, tasteful guitar solo – this is what we remember the band for. The tempo is upbeat on second track ‘Arianne’ and consolidates on a strong start, while the moody ‘Night Drive’ might have you believing this is a synthwave track. Not quite but I think it might have its origins in that other popular genre, just a hunch.
‘Chariot Of Fire’ was Brother Firetribe’s pre-release single back at the beginning of September, a good choice though to be fair, they could’ve used any number of tracks such is the strength of the material here. ‘Bring On The Rain’ is more trademarked BFT, a massively catchy chorus is the feature here.
‘Love Is A Beautiful Lie’ is a wistful tune, not a lot of electric guitars here, a load of ambience via the keyboard work and soulful vocals. ‘Ticking Away’ returns to mainstream melodic rock and builds nicely throughout. The delivery feels like it’s on tenterhooks no doubt due to the lyrics: the clock keeps ticking away.
‘Battle Ground’ isn’t the metal bombast one would assume with a song title like this. No, there’s too much rich harmony vocals and keyboards in the mix. Still, a track that is probably the heaviest onboard, but in the album’s overall context, that isn’t saying much.
‘Candle In The Window’ might appear to be a ballad, but no, Brother Firetribe deceive us once again as this track represents over a decade of songwriting experience for these flashy Finns. Signing off with ‘Rock In The City’ this track is more dynamic rock which sounds like it could be a perfect live tune too.
In Summary
Released on the 18th September, this album is picking up great feedback from all the reputable online haunts, and rightly so. After an absence of three years and some significant changes, it’s onwards and upwards for Brother Firetribe. The new guitarist Roope Riihijärvi brings in a fresh style and his tasteful solos and general playing ensures the band are in a good place. Very nice surprise, and well worth a listen.
Video
Night Drive
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cfirMzhV2N0
Bring On The Rain
