Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

The shape of things to come and a hell of a nod to the British Rock scene of the 1980s in an intensity breathing, fist punching, engine ready to combust and an energetically dismissive of the some of the pomp that parades itself in the rock banner of recent years. It seems that if you really want to rock, ask a band from the Scandinavian set of countries and if you want to rock hard then ask Finland’s Brother Firetribe.

There is something to Diamond In The Firepit that captures a distinct memory, something so good that the music plays with the imagination and gets the little grey cells popping up and down with the excited glee normally reserved for some of the more traditional bands of the genre. Think England’s Magnum, think Helloween, mix them in a large music blender and see the offspring of two great bands come to life before your very eyes. Don’t let the past cloud your own judgement, don’t let the accomplishments of others stand in the way of a good song, of great songs and most of all, savour the taste of a band seemingly enjoying life again to the point that Diamond In The Firepit, the group’s first studio album in six years, is an album in which too let the brain and heart agree upon; let instinct grab you as it does the heart.

There are some really great moments on Diamond In The Firepit, some moments in which to savour the melodic ambience and set the mind on cruise control for a while, the urge to fight behind a common cause once more safe in the hands of a group who emulate intriguingly the likes of Magnum and the charm of Helloween at their very best. Tracks such as Far Away From Love, For Better or For Worse, the brilliant Winner Takes It All, the superb Tired of Dreaming and the final door slamming, arse kicking bitterness of Reality Bites, all add up to the fact that somewhere along the line, a trip to see this band live in their native country should be top of the agenda.

Very enjoyable, a stomping crusade and a treasure to keep all make Diamond In The Firepit a must for an evening’s entertainment play list.

Ian D. Hall