The pairing of Harry Hess and Daniel Flores deliver another excellent set of tunes under the First Signal banner, they’re all really good.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: First Signal
ALBUM: Line Of Fire
LABEL: Frontiers
SERIAL: FRCD 952
YEAR: 2019
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada, Sweden
LINEUP: Harry Hess – vocals * Daniel Flores – keyboards, drums, production * Michael Palace – guitars * Johan Niemann – bass
TRACK LISTING: 01 Born To Be A Rebel * 02 A Million Miles * 03 The Last Of My Broken Heart * 04 Tonight We Are The Only * 05 Walk Through The Fire * 06 Never Look Back Again * 07 Line Of Fire * 08 Here With You * 09 Need You Now * 10 Falling * 11 The End Of The World * 12 The Last Of My Broken Heart (bonus)
RATING: 90/100
WEBLINKS: FB Page
Background
The pairing of Harry Hess and Daniel Flores deliver another excellent set of tunes under the First Signal banner. This would be about the third or fourth album by First Signal? I can’t quite recall off the top of my head but what I can say is that they’re all really good.
As I go about assembling my selections for the best of 2019 series, I returned to this album released earlier in the year, and it’s one we seem to have forgotten about. So we make amends at the back end of the year. I know there are a few that aren’t fans of the Daniel Flores production technique, but don’t count me in that group.
Apart from one album back in 2016 called Cry Of Dawn, that was so sugar loaded, much of his other work has been good. I’ve especially enjoyed the Find Me, Palace and The Murder Of My Sweet albums.
The Songs
With this new one, a couple of songs from the past are given retreads. Such as the wickedly good ‘Walk Through The Fire’, best remembered on that fantastic 1999 Metropolis album ‘Power Of The Night’, featuring the duo of Stan Meissner and Peter Cardanali.
Then there’s a ripping cover of ‘Never Look Back’ which Headpins singer Darby Mills did on her 1991 solo album with the Unsung Heroes. But it’s not just these two headline tunes that dominate the album.
The opener ‘Born To Be A Rebel’ is a bit of a cracker, and gets things going with a boom. You can’t go wrong with strident rockers like the title track ‘Line Of Fire’, and the concluding trio of ‘Need You Now’, ‘Falling’ and ‘The End Of The World’. There are a few ballads here, these are OK but I tend to skip through these where a hard rock album is concerned, so I’m going to pass on them.
In Summary
Overall a decent outing, and one I’ve listened to a bit over the last few months. Those two highlighted tracks were a bit of bait for me and they sound good. Check out First Signal if you haven’t done so already.
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