It seems an incredibly long time since Firebrand Super Rock released their debut EP, earning themselves a spot on most commentators’ ones-to-watch list.
The wait has been worth it, however, because the Edinburgh quartet’s first album adds textural depth and bigger hooks to their blazing traditional metal attack.
Vocalist Laura Donnelly remains the most powerful weapon in the band’s arsenal, her Dio-esque bellow ensuring that the windswept bombast of River Of The Dead and Iron Void are delivered with plenty of fiery eyed melodrama.
Meanwhile, dark-hued anthems like the distinctly Manilla Road-esque Hell’s Mouth and the stirring rumble of Born To Die bury themselves in the skull like well-aimed hatchets hurled across a bloody battlefield. Don’t bother to duck.
