25 years in, 10 albums and still rocking the power metal world – Heidenheim’s Brainstorm are back for their anniversary album (in two ways even) and Firesoul continues their legacy seamlessly, providing their fans with the probably best album since 2005’s Liquid Monster! Throughout the years they found their own characteristic sound with heavy guitar work, powerful rhythm section, stellar vocals and irresistible melodies, manifesting their spot in the upper echelons of German power metal with a great streak of high calibre releases.

Firesoul continues down the path that 2011’s On the Spur of the Moment, which had been a step up from Memorial Roots, returning even more to the powerful sound they had established as their very own over the years, while maintaining the very harmonic and catchy choruses and I don’t really have to waste a lot of time pointing out the uniqueness of fronter Andy Franck, right? All of these elements come together into a fire cracker of an album that will sweep you into the midst of things, with everything you have come to love of the band, but without repeating themselves. A beauty, no?

Anyways, the production of Firesoul is nothing short of big, voluminous, powerful, fitting the songs perfectly and giving them a lot of sonic force to attack your eardrums! Very few bands have this instantly recognizable sound and Brainstorm fully fall into this category, the thunderous riffing, Franck’s voice, the contrast between heaviness and catchiness, any fan of the band rejoice!

The guitars of “Erased by the Dark” will pin you against the wall and Franck’s voice over the powerful music is just divine, culminating in the catchy chorus, this is 100% Brainstorm and nothing else! The light edge in the melodic vocals just give enough contrast to propel the songs forward and are the perfect puzzle piece to complete them. The title track has this incredible riff powering the song forward and the harmonies the band creates are just crazy, think I exaggerate? Check out their video below and you will be a believer (you’ll see what I mean)! And if you don’t believe after that, let’s just mutually agree that you are wrong, alright?

They vary the speed and intensity between the tracks, some more melodic, as “Recall the Real” and “…And I Wonder”, some thunderous midtempo such as “Entering Solitude” or superb “Feed Me Lies”, which has this piano underlying the super harmonic chorus that stands in contrast to the sharp riffing, some just plain out pedal to the metal double bass hammers in the shape of “Descendants of the Fire” or “Shadowseeker”, all tied together by the band’s ability to concentrate on their strengths and keeping their original stamp and character on the songs.

2014 is already a great year for power metal with Iron Savior, Sinbreed, Noble Beast, Mindfeeder, Van Canto and Winterstorm and now Brainstorm is adding a mighty hammer to this and it is only March… If you have loved Brainstorm in the past, Firesoul is MAN-DA-TO-RY! If you like your power metal powerful and heavy, but with irresistible harmonies and stellar vocals, then you have to introduce yourself to Brainstorm, this is power metal at its finest!