Firehouse

Coming fresh off of reviewing Firehouse's previous effort, "Category 5" which almost did not see the light of day in the US, I can safely tackle their latest with confidence. Right off the bat, it's clearly much more in the style of what we've come to expect from this early 90s born melodic hard rock band. "C5" was a sharp departure from their partying beginnings and songs filled not only with sharp hooks but plenty of guitar riffs and all the instrumental spices that define metal from the masses. Instead "Category" took a dive for the worst into the realms of acoustic brimming country trappings that's better left with George Strait and Garth Brooks. Curiously the rest of the record was split up into a couple of decent tracks, and some darker acid tinged modern-esque songs, which equalled a strange record.

Those that rode in on the wave of glam-induced hard rock from the turn into the 90s are familiar with Firehouse, if only for the spike heeled wearing, hose toting gal that turned up the heat (and turned on the water) from their fiery video for "Don't Treat Me Bad". Their debut album is considered a classic and often held in higher reguard than other casulaties of the era such as Warrant's "Cherry Pie" or Slaughter's "Stick It To Ya", and there's no denying that that debut roared up the charts and obtained multi-platinum status. Not bad for the band voted Best New Hard Rock/Metal Band at the American Music Awards, easily whipping the 'killer' of the then-seemingly unstoppable glam machine, Nirvana. CJ Snare has an unmistakable voice, much like every other glam singer, where often the defining key to unraveling the identy of the band was the pipes of the lead frontman. Quirky enough to bring life to the life of the party rockers, but smooth enough to deliver a ballad in fine form, he strattles the fence between annoying and delicious to listen to, depending on how his vocals are used in any given song. Virginian shredder Bill Leverty has the chops that deliver, and easily surpasses being just another generic rock guitarist.

1. Jumpin' - Slick and cool bass-filled high tempo opener that has a very different but high octane pulsing rhythm featuring some unusual drum work and wildly thumping bass that shines through the outer covering beautifully. The chorus is punchy and simply "jumpin", the kind of swinging dance floor flavored fare that has been sorely missed from the guys in the past few years. This one was tailor made to be a live track and will probably find its rightful permenant place in their concert playlists. It already has a raw, loose feel that gives it an extra boost and makes it a track that's just plain fun.
2. Take It Off - The first of the darker tracks, with curiously heavy n' thick guitar riffs that backup the sexually charged lyrics that are declare loud and proud in pure glam flavored fashion... "get naked from your head down to your toes, don't hide your body underneath those fancy clothes". Nasty n' dirty with a classically 80s chorus that fits with the rest of the song like a glove. Leverty shows his flair for handling the axe with a solo that feels like 1990 all over again.
3. The Dark - The verses are rapping and sound more like Vanilla Ice than Firehouse, drowning this one in bad vibes right from the beginning. Can it be saved? Barely. A hard bottomed but very modern feeling chorus is much better than the verses but still... it could have been much better. A cringingly cheesy 60s computer voice puts the lyrical theme of the song in five words: "welcome to the computer age". Overall its frighteningly terrible and brings back nightmares of mid 90s albums by glam bands that wanted to be modern so badly they threw away the sounds they had been building upon and released pieces of total musical dung that bottomed out for them as the fans and the rest of the industry turned on them.
4. Don't Fade On Me - A drastic improvement from "The Dark" (which should have been left there, 'in the dark'), this one is a slow burning sentimental track that recaptures the big melodic sound that was the standard of days gone by. There's a feeling that it could have been produced with a bit of a bigger, rounder sound, but since its fairly straightforward, the rawer touch lends itself well to the mid tempo pacing. Snare sounds especially solid on this track as he sings his heart out about long lasting love.
5. I'd Rather Be Making Love - In-your-face riffing puts the rhythm guitar riffs right up front, bold and showy, and the sticking point of the song. Typical (read as: "classic") Firehouse from start to finish. "Some love to party and stay up all night, but I'd rather be...." you guessed it..."making love tonight!" The upfront vibes of this one feel good as hard rock should, and stays in the blood with its addictive tilt.
6. What Can You Do - Another dark opening, but it quickly smooths out into a feel-good flowing track that sees the heavy bottomed guitar switched on and off for impact during the song. The chorus still moves with all the melodic grace in the world, the verses pouring out beautifully on top of lapping acoustic. Of special note is the guitar solo, which is firmly drenched in melodic sense while flaunting plenty of strong chops and dazzling sparkle near its close.
7. I'm In Love This Time - Something about the sound of the vocals make this track feel like a country and western cover in places, but then the thick riffs kick in and that thought is quickly erased. It's just something about the vocals and even the lyrics that give it a country n western bar band/ meets modern rock feel. An uptempo track but not even close to being in the same league as "Take It Off".
8. Unbelievable - "when I hear you say you love me too...it's unbelievable!" This little mid tempo but quite relaxed track would have fit perfectly on their highly acclaimed debut album. The tightened chorus is a slow grower, being great at first, but as time goes by it gets better and better. Another song that seems it would have benefited with a bit more of an over-the-top production, but make no mistake, its mighty fine just as it is.
9. Loving You Is Paradise - Half clink-half plunking sounds dance around in the background, very unusual like raindrops hitting metal, its unique and instantly noticeable. For the rest of the song though, its a pure stripped down ballad, with the typical bombastically plush vocal choruses booming in for the chorus and those nifty plinking sounds swirling in the brief instrumental interludes between chorus and acoustic exclusive verses. Just when you think that the electric is going to be a no-show for this one, it bursts in full force for an uplifting solo.
10. Call of the Night - Creepy hollow sounds at night straight out of a spooky (or not so spooky) horror movie. Subtle but effective, then the song lurches forward in one of the purely heaviest songs Firehouse has done, this one simply rocks out without stooping to the 'modern fuzzy-thick guitar' level. The axework is sharply intact and this one whirls out with a forceful blistering quality that recalls such bands as Leatherwolf and Malice. Leverty is positively awesome on the guitar and the drums pound relentlessly near the end, in a thundering tribal fashion. Snare's piercing wolf howl is positively priceless.

"O2" instantly fits in better with the Firehouse catalogue than "Category 5" ever did, there's the party tracks that glam fans have come to love, the big bold ballads that sparkle up stadiums brighter than a white lighted Christmas tree in Times Square, and a handful of darker, moodier tracks that are a throwback to the chunkier stuff like "Have Mercy" from the previous disc. All in all, it's a nice mixture, but lacks a true 'power' track such as the absolutely killer "Can't Stop the Pain" or the unforgettable (and already mentioned in this review) "Don't Treat Me Bad". Fans of the band who might have lost faith during their acoustic wanderings will regain some of it with a taste of high energy stuff like the mind numblingly addictive "Take it Off" or the experimental heavy metal sharpness of "Call of the Night". My only complaint with the album (except for the two low quality tracks) is the production which is not up to Firehouse's usual standards. It brings a couple of tracks down which feel like they should have been treated to a more 'power' production job. Overall however, the guys have managed to bring enough of the magic back to reclaim their piece of the metal pie. It's great to hear them back into form with some very strong songs and a worldwide release.
7.8
Review by Alanna Evans
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