Brother Firetribe
Sunbound
Spinefarm Records
2017
Well, it was a matter of time for Brother Firetribe to release a truly enthralling album… their top album of their career to date, without any doubt. You see all the musicians are top-notch and their songwriting skills are great, so it was no surprise that they have come up with such an astonishing release.
But let’s take things from the start. “Sunbound” comes almost 3 years after “False Metal” and the band had already shown they were in great shape with the release of the single “Taste of a Champion”, which was used on a major Finnish advertising campaign on TV. That track would have been ideal for any “Rocky” movie too – who knows if there will ever be a new “Rocky” movie, then Stallone might choose right for once more. The album is full of “hits” and the most remarkable thing of all is that you can’t help but sing along pretty much every refrain. That is what makes an album truly successful and engaging. Pekka gives some amazing performances throughout the album, having by his side Emppu, Tomppa, Jason and Hannes that complete the musical puzzle ideally. The production is lush, powerful & very clear. The album was mixed by Finnish studio-meister Mikko Karmila (Nightwish, Children Of Bodom,Stratovarius).
I’d better not refer to each track individually – after all, Pekka has done it more accurately on the interview you can read here. The joy to listen to the tracks and sing along is greater than any track by track review. “Help in on the Way”, “Indelible Heroes”, “Last Forever”, “Give Me Tonight”, “Shock”, “Heart of the Matter”, “Big City Dream” and “Phantasmagoria” are my personal favorites and some really amazing AOR/melodic rock tracks on the whole. The bonus track “Don’t Cry for Yesterday” is really nice and the cover on “Restless Heart” (by John Parr) is superb as well.
Brother Firetribe have blended AOR, melodic rock, pop/rock and hard rock together wonderfully, and they have come up with an exciting final outcome. “Sunbound” is not only the band’s top moment till now, but one of the finest AOR/melodic rock albums for 2017… surely one of the candidates for the album of the year!
But let’s take things from the start. “Sunbound” comes almost 3 years after “False Metal” and the band had already shown they were in great shape with the release of the single “Taste of a Champion”, which was used on a major Finnish advertising campaign on TV. That track would have been ideal for any “Rocky” movie too – who knows if there will ever be a new “Rocky” movie, then Stallone might choose right for once more. The album is full of “hits” and the most remarkable thing of all is that you can’t help but sing along pretty much every refrain. That is what makes an album truly successful and engaging. Pekka gives some amazing performances throughout the album, having by his side Emppu, Tomppa, Jason and Hannes that complete the musical puzzle ideally. The production is lush, powerful & very clear. The album was mixed by Finnish studio-meister Mikko Karmila (Nightwish, Children Of Bodom,Stratovarius).
I’d better not refer to each track individually – after all, Pekka has done it more accurately on the interview you can read here. The joy to listen to the tracks and sing along is greater than any track by track review. “Help in on the Way”, “Indelible Heroes”, “Last Forever”, “Give Me Tonight”, “Shock”, “Heart of the Matter”, “Big City Dream” and “Phantasmagoria” are my personal favorites and some really amazing AOR/melodic rock tracks on the whole. The bonus track “Don’t Cry for Yesterday” is really nice and the cover on “Restless Heart” (by John Parr) is superb as well.
Brother Firetribe have blended AOR, melodic rock, pop/rock and hard rock together wonderfully, and they have come up with an exciting final outcome. “Sunbound” is not only the band’s top moment till now, but one of the finest AOR/melodic rock albums for 2017… surely one of the candidates for the album of the year!