So far Malta is not really a hotspot for Rock and Metal, so that only few bands from this country had reached my ears. FIRE have chosen classical Hard Rock as their style and founded in 1998 they have been able to gain quite some experience throughout the years, which shows in the songs on their debut “Ignite”.

The influences are clearly rooted in the Classic Rock of the 80s, so you will not find any modern sounds, but FIRE have very matured compositions, so you can’t complain about that at all. The Maltese have a good groove as well as catchy melodies and hooks, good guitar work and vocals, so basically all the ingredients you are looking for in a good Rock album.

Opener "Get Out Of My Way" features a prominent bass, "Fire Flyer" shows the heavier side of the band, straight, energetic and with a certain Arena Rock flair, which also is evident in super catchy "Manhunter", which reminds me of the big Melodic Rock bands of the Eighties. And that they also are adept in the ballad genre is impressively showcased by "Goin’ Down", very unsappy and with layered chorus, great!

FIRE definitely do not re-invent the wheel of Rock and I doubt that this ever had been their goal. Good timeless Rock songs with a lot of emphasis on good song writing and performance is what the Maltese had set out for and what they achieved, so fans of classic Rock should definitely check out “Ignite”!

(Online October 27, 2006)