Germany’s FIREBORN present a classic Hard Rock sound that’s based strongly in the 80’s while updating the sound enough to fit into today’s world.
Produced by Schmier (Burning Witches, Destruction), the songs have an edge that really make it sound like really heavy AOR, which kind of makes it Melodic Metal in some respect. Regardless how you want to label it, expect an impressive effort by lead singer Jenny, who has very strong voice with just enough “rasp” to separate her from the pack of female singers who tend to rely more on their falsetto than singing with grit and emphasis.
The band is very solid too, they seem to play very well together and as I mentioned earlier the production by Schmier has a good kick to it. I think he captured the band’s essence very well with the big sound he came up with. The drum kick is killer and the music features Jenny’s strong voice without overpowering the rest of the instruments.
Overall I really love their sound, I’m not 100 percent sold on the lyrics and subject matter, but I’m old enough to be their father who literally grew up in the 80’s so I’m in the “been there done that” camp to some extent. And I think it’s fair to say the songs will have more mainstream and female appeal, which is actually a smart direction to go and obviously where they are most comfortable with.
There’s quite a few mid-tempo powerful “ballads” on the album, hence the AOR label I gave it earlier. I listened before I realized three of the singles were “Done With You”, “Deep Blue Water” and “You Seem So Far”, I personally didn’t pick any of them as my personal favorite. They were all nice songs, but quite similar in their slow build to a big chorus.
If I had chosen a lead ballad I would have picked “Angel In Need”, which I felt had the strongest radio hook on the album. This had Bon Jovi written all over it and let’s face it, they sold a few albums (sarcasm alert). I hope they go back to this one, it’s a diamond in the rough.
They’ve also released “Young Heart Dies”, the lead track and the more uptempo of the singles. It’s a solid rocker with nice hooks. Ironically I really liked this one and the last track “Set Off”. “Pack Of Wolves” was quite interesting too, it took more chances than some of the other tracks.
Overall, as much as I was hoping they were even heavier, they could very well be in a very good spot doing a more “radio friendly” style that’s still powerful but accessible for the mainstream listener to sink their teeth into.
I’m giving this one a 7.5 out of 10 flaming fists. I think the talent is certainly here, the whole band looks and sounds great, now it’s a matter of fine-tuning the song-writing and perhaps finding their strengths. You do get almost an album and a half of music as there’s 14 original cuts on the album. I might have cut it down to 10 and worked on a few of the weaker tracks for the next album, but that’s only MY opinion, if you’re a fan of the band you’ll love the fact it’s a longer playing album. I am personally looking forward to what they come up with next!
Fireborn online:
https://www.facebook.com/Firebornofficial
https://www.instagram.com/fireborn_band
FIREBORN are:
Jenny – vocals
Raphi – drums
Dennis – guitar
Flo – guitar
Chris – bass
The album “Reflections” is now available worldwide as CD and with merch bundles. Get a copy right HERE in the Fireborn band shop hosted by Atomic Fire Records. The 14-track Fireborn album was produced by Schmier (Burning Witches, Destruction). The tracks are modern as well as influenced by American hard rock and alternative rock with lots of atmosphere, energy, and catchy melodies. Led by the charismatic singer and songwriter Jenny, Fireborn directly captivates the listener with the raw but always feminine and sensitive nature of Jenny’s incomparable powerful hard rock and metal voice. With an aggressive, hook-loaded, heavy sound, the band appeals to fans from Halestorm or In This Moment through their substantial, heavy rock tracks and emotional power ballads.
Jenny about the first long-player: “The first cut is the deepest! Our debut album, „Reflections,“ is out now! It really feels surreal to us and is a dream that came true! We all hope you hear our love, dedication, passion, and the hard work we put into our first record! “Reflections” is about learning from your own mistakes and those of others, breaking new grounds, and never losing hope!”
Get carried away – far away from the programmed music of today – this album will bring you back to stripped-down pure, classic rock and metal.
