By Rob Thompson
Firebrand Super Rock hail from Edinburgh Scotland and boast a traditional four piece line-up: Laura Donnelly - vocals, Jamie Gilchrist - guitar, Frazer Marr – bass and Andrew Scott - drums. Born For The Gallows is the group's second album and it’s a cracker. Musically: mix some NWOBHM classics from the likes of Maiden in with a hazy stoner vibe; add a sprinkle of old school thrash, some progressive grooves and blend with a few Sabbath type riffs. Then combine with Laura’s excellent vocals and you get a polished, promising and passionate release showcasing some real musical talent.
The production values are high with the band calling on Chris Fielding who has worked with the likes of Electric Wizard and Primordial. Although my personal preference is for a slightly more bassy mix the overall impression is professional and polished. The brilliant solos are crisp, clean and clear; the riffs combine well with the ballsy choruses and all are underpinned with a strong foundation of solid drums and sublime bass.
The album kicks off with ‘Sentinel Hill’: a moody intro sees the group move on to pay homage to old school thrash as dished out by bands such as Exodus. Then the riffs become much more stoner influenced with some unexpected time changes towards the latter half of the song. Next up is ‘Beyond The Final Gate’; a crunching number that erupts into massive riffs, pounding bass lines and spiralling vocals. The harmonising chorus and slower parts midway allows for a brief respite before the next track, ‘Lost At Sea’. This is a slower song and makes use of a melodic intro to lead into very heavy guitars. The vocals rise and fall in turn and the pace picks up half way through before slowing again towards the end.
‘Re-Animator’ sees a return to what the band does best, fast and powerful metal before the slower (well, slower for this band anyway) ‘Shadow Of The Witch’. Although this has a more progressive feel to it and some excellent solos, as the song progresses more of a chugging doom vibe presents itself. ‘Addict’ is one of the longer tracks and provides an ideal platform for the plaintive bass and huge riffs. The extended length of this track really showcases the vocal talents on offer. ‘BFOF’ is an upbeat, instrumental thrash assault which leads into the less frantic ‘Discordia’. This track is bluesier and not as heavy; very mellow indeed. ‘Descent Into Madness’ is next and this has some of the most frantic complex solos I’ve heard in a while. This was my favourite track on the whole album with nods towards the great NWOBHM bands of years past. ‘When Worlds Collide’ closes the album and has an acoustic ambiance before the heaviness returns. The last quarter of the track has some stand-out soloing with nice, complementary backing riffs providing interplay of melodies across the course of the track.
In summary, Born For The Gallows is a superior album which highlights the development of the band’s sound across the ten well composed and constructed songs. Listening to this album reminds you just how fun metal should be. Sure there’s a time and a place for doom, death and everything in between. But Born For The Gallows is for metal heads who want to pump their fists in the air, spill beer on their mates and miss the last bus home. It’s so important to support home-grown talent and with the right encouragement and backing this band is destined for big things. Released via Wasted State Records on 02 December 2013 be sure to visit them on Facebook and give them a listen - you won’t be disappointed!
