r
gg
July 2017 - p.15
Verdict:
There is a resurgence of bands
inspired by the New Wave Of British Heavy
Metal. With members based in the Birmingham
area, Icefire are the latest NWOBHM recruits
and send in their debut album 'The Nature Of
Evil' which I heavily recommended to fans of
Saxon and Iron Maiden. It boasts eight tracks
filled with slow, groove-based riffs. Highlights
include 'Debt Collector' mainly for the awesome
outro, 'Drink Me In' with its dark, epic, evil
sounding hanging chords and beautiful piano
and opener 'Witches' for it's heavy metal stabs
and excellent vocals. The vocals are why this
band stands out. Normally a band that plays
classic heavy metal will have a guy trained to
sound like a Chinese firework at the helm.
However, Icefire have the wild woman of rock
Deborah Ruth Woodward and to me she sounds
much better suited than a lot of NWOBHM
bands because her vocal range seems ideal for
the music. I've never understood why male
singers feel they have to make sounds like
chipmunks on helium. It's a well produced album
with great solos and they will appeal to a lot of
people who really love NWOBHM. Icefire sound
a lot fresher and have something different to
offer. 'Gyspy's Song' is the best track on here;
ace chorus and awesome guitar solo.
Album:
The Nature Of Evil
www
icefiretheband com
ICEFIRE
r
gg
21
YEARS
1995-2016
Verdict:
I loved this single 'Monica' by
Wolverhampton band Fear Without Reason and
what surprised me most was that they remind
me of bands like Incubus and Alien Ant Farm -
who I never really warmed to but I do like this
band. It's technical, chilled out, alternative rock
played real slick. The singer Zaz (according to
their Facebook page) has a real strong frontman
voice, nothing false here and you wanna listen
to what he says, especially as he's got a great
songwriting team behind him. 'Monica' is a good,
almost melancholy tune I believe, about an old
woman wanting to be saved and yet it's quite
youthful sounding which is bizarre. FWR are
relatively fresh, they've a music video on
YouTube for one of their other tunes 'Holdin On'
if you'd like to see what they look like. Or better
still, go down to one of their live shows. Anyway,
Monica is available to download on Spotify
Deezer and iTunes. So check them out.
Single:
Monica
www
facebook com/pg/fwrbanduk
FEAR WITHOUT REASON
single
month
of
the
