Artist: Firebird
Title: Grand Union
Type: Album
Label: Rise Above Records
Every so often a new CD comes along that quite unexpectedly amazes and enthrals me, forcing itself to be played over and over, much to the detriment of other reviewing duties. Grand Union by Firebird is one such album. The opening guitar blast of ‘Blue Flame’ had me transported into the heyday of heavy blues rock, an era of vinyl, flares and Whispering Bob Harris and his legendary Old Grey Whistle Test. The pounding bass and cymbal heavy drums fired out a head banging rhythm, whilst the single guitar fired out bent string solos and tight riffs. This retro sound was carried even further in ‘Jack The Lad’, the guitar’s notes echoing the vocals note for note over the verses, a form much used in electric blues by many virtuosos of the style. The masterful work of the late lamented Rory Gallagher was respectfully evoked in the simple blues of ‘Fool For You’, a barely recognizable arrangement of an old acoustic James Taylor number, and even more so in the riffs of ‘Silent Stranger’, the notes seeming to tumble from the guitar’s fret board until they merged together with the rhythm section a compelling blast of sound before being lifted even further with some of the most authentic bottle neck blues solos I’ve heard for many a year.
Track after track just screams of class and a thorough grounding in the style of music that has the likes of Hendrix, Cream, Zeppelin and Free through decade after decade. ‘Release Me’ has the three piece joined by a soothing Hammond organ, whilst ‘Wild Honey’ has lyrics laden with the sort of simple innuendo that had Robert Plant screaming for his unknown ladies to “squeeze his lemon!” ‘Worried Mind’ is a stomping tribute to Duster Bennett, a long lost Brit-blues stalwart, with its fired up harmonica and echoing vocals that sounded so much like the old mono recording of that era. The final track, ‘Caledonia’, with its distorted slide guitar riffs, and the sort of hammering drum beat that would have John Bonham tapping his feet is a worthy closer for the album, having a more experimental sound then straight blues, layering up a wall of guitars rather then the stripped down sound of some of the other tracks.
After the first listen to the album, complete with covers of such seventies luminaries as Little Feat, I was utterly gob smacked to discover Firebird is home to Bill Steer, one time Napalm Death grinder and guitarist of the now reformed UK Death Metal masters Carcass. This is a sound I honestly wouldn’t have expected from a man best known for breakneck buzz saw guitars and growled vocals on tracks like ‘Heartwork’. However, with bassist Smok Smoczkiewicz and powerhouse drummer Ludwig Witt, he has shown a new side to his work, paying homage to classic rock, whilst imbuing it with a new and fresh energy. Whilst by no means a metal album, it’s one I have no hesitation in recommending to any fan of rock.
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http://www.firebirdhome.co.uk
Spenny Bullen
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