Zitat:It's kinda funny that back in the eighties, when the kind of melodic hard rock that Firenote play was big, there were hardly any worthwhile Finnish acts. Now, twenty years later, new bands pop up more or less frequently. Some of them can even crack the charts, like Brother Firetribe. BFT is one band that Firenote are bound to be compared to, thanks to their similar name and style, not to mention the similar'ish artwork. They are no copycats though: whereas BFT's music is rooted in AOR, Firenote has a more metallic vibe. Espcially vocalist Ricky's style is slightly teutonic, not a million miles from that of Axxis' Bernhard Weiss actually.

Firenote's debut has been produced by Erkka Korhonen, former guitarist of Urban Tale and nowadays a renowed producer. With his help, the band has created a very 80'ies like hard rock platter, which manages to sound contemporary as well. A special mention for the background vocals, they are top-notch.

Out of the 11 songs on the album, not everyone is a winner but when they get it right, they get it RIGHT. The first single "Danger" has some cool Yngwie-like touches and a deadly effective chorus. The band's tribute to a foxy celebrity cook Sara La Fountain is another gem. I just wonder what she'll think of this tune, Ricky proudly singing that he had a "chance to get between her thighs"... Well, it's just rock'n roll poetry, nothing that serious. Another pair of very good tracks can be found later in the tracklisting, namely the AOR stormer "Suddenly" and hard-rocking, catchy "Heartbreaker", which reminds me a bit of H.E.A.T.

On a few occasions, Ricky's vocal delivery is over the top. Take the chorus of "Don't Ever Fall In Love" for instance... a bit squeeky for my taste. What's more, some of the lyrics he has to sing are quite wordy, thus the vocal melodies do not flow naturally. Several Finnish bands have the same problem, possibly because our own language is so consonant-heavy and angular. Okay, now this review's getting a bit wordy too...

To sum it up, Firenote's first album is a good, well produced melodic hard rock album that should appeal to those who have enjoyed the likes of Brother Firetribe, H.E.A.T. and The Poodles recently, not to mention the ancestors like Europe, TNT and Axxis.