There’s a little Austin, Texas quintet called Fire From The Gods that’s been creating some serious heat in the metal world this year. With the recent release of their first full length album for Rise records, “Narrative Retold,” a slew of spring festival appearances, and a summer run on Vans Warped Tour, the band is becoming a force to be reckoned with on the metal scene.
With top notch songs and stellar production, the new album is a hardcore metal fan’s dream with plenty of melody and even some rap/rock and reggae to mix things up. Guitarists Jameson Teat and Drew Walker are burning up the fretboards with blistering leads on aggressive rockers like “Public Enemy” and “Composition.” Not to be out done is the rhythm section of bassist Bonner Baker and drummer Richard
Wicander who keep the beats thundering throughout the record. Frontman AJ Channer’s vocals are in fine form ranging from anywhere from soft spoken to an all out blitzkrieg attack of metal mayhem. Lyrically the content is as heavy as the music it accompanies as the band tackles some major social issues touching on violence and the lack of compassion in today’s society on “The Voiceless.” The slow
burn of “End Transmission” shows that the band can do much more than a full on metal assault and “Excuse Me” provides a radio friendly song with a hip/hop vibe and a catchy, melodic chorus. A not to be missed track is “Diversion” which will have you hanging onto the edge of your seat as the band takes off at lightning speed allowing you to catch your breath for just a bit on the chorus before charging off
at a breakneck pace again. The record closes out with an acoustic version of “Excuse Me” that is so well done it took me a few minutes to realize I was listening to the same song as earlier.
With great musicianship and an energy that can literally raise the roof, Fire From The Gods is about to blow up in a big way. Check out “Narrative Retold” and find out what all the fuss is about!
