Review by Paul Monkhouse for MPM
It’s not been an easy birth for Fireheart, the quintet having found and then quickly lost a lead guitarist before the right piece of the puzzle fell into place.
Fortunately though, the groundswell of support for the band has been an unstoppable tsunami since they first announced the project, merchandise sales and social media likes accumulating at breakneck speed even before a single note was heard. This though was a band who approached things differently, their commitment to each other and the people who have been with them from those first steps something stronger than the music itself.
All had been through their own personal trials, things that would have utterly broken others, but instead of giving up and walking away this band of brothers decided to join together to do all they’d truly dreamt of and form an outfit whose power was as much in their outlook as coming out of the Marshall stacks behind them.
Fervently awaited, the ‘Rise EP’ is another big step forward for the fledgling outfit and follows three previously released singles that point the way to greatness. Taking their time to get things right, the five tracks featured show their range and set them out as a classy and powerful unit who take some of the tried and tested classic rock tropes, beef things up with a modern production and add their own special sprinkling of magic. Muscular and melodic, the whole marks arena sized ambitions and both the material and talent to make it happen, carefully sidestepping any egotism that some of their peers seem to have that would threaten to sink them before they got properly going.
Coming in with a rush, ‘Wild Hearts’ is a big, ballsy number that doesn’t take prisoners, Russ Grimmett’s vocals living every line as the guitars of Neil Hackett and Kev Baker dance and soar, coming in with a sledgehammer punch. The huge hook at the centre of ‘I Don’t Need A Best Friend’ is driven by Chris Hopton’s drums and the bass of Bret Barnes, their feeling of groove making the whole irresistible. The thing that strikes most here is the passion behind the lyrics and the pitch perfect music that soundtracks the emotional journey in an almost filmic way, the big and beautiful ballad ‘(Good Is) Good Enough’ the perfect example as it says so much without going into over-the-top bombast.
This is a defiant set of songs, the power of the underdog and downtrodden fighting back and gaining ground, ‘An Hour To Forget’ and closer ‘I’m Not Dreaming’ anthemic in their ability to move both feet and hearts. With a tour recently announced and the promise of a full-length album to come, Fireheart are already on the way to making a big impression not just on the music scene but in the lives of all who hear them. Right now, the world needs more bands like this and these boys should be embraced as something good and true. Leading the way out of the tunnel with their light shining high, Fireheart are on their way to very big things.
You can also pre-save the EP now on all streaming platforms so it’s ready to blast the moment it drops!
