CITY OF FIRE’s self-titled debut is one of rock’s best albums in 2010. The lineup features FEAR FACTORY vocalist Burton C. Bell, FF bassist Byron Stroud, guitarist Terry Murray, drummer Bob Wagner of ECONOLINE CRUSH, and guitarist Ian White. They’ve unloaded one melodic-crusher of a debut via Candlelight Records. This reviewer applauds Bell for his boldness in new musical creation. I have followed everything he has ever done, including GZR (with BLACK SABBATH’s Geezer Butler) from 1995 to his recent work in ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS. Is it just me or does this guy get about as diverse as a great rock vocalist can get? CITY OF FIRE is literal perfection in songwriting with eleven well written tunes that won’t be easy to shake. If you want music that’s extremely heavy, however, you are better off going with FF’s current ass kicker Mechanize to satisfy that thirst. With CITY OF FIRE, you get a much more mature Bell, yet the talented vocalist still manages to keep that gritty edge he’s so well known. You do definitely get a little bit of everything on this record though, from aggressive riffs to snarling post-punk. It gets rocking with “Carve Your Name”, and let me tell you, this is some of the best music I’ve heard from Bell ever. The music will at times sound totally serene and eerily close to Ireland’s U2 but then it ultimately takes you further down the road to a place that can be pretty damn dark. Like Bell’s FEAR FACTORY, what you get with CITY OF FIRE is a whole lot of musical invention. I have always felt Bell was one of the world’s scariest musical talents. Let’s face the facts, the dude can flat out sing his balls off. Recorded at Factory Studios in Vancouver during late 2008, COF offers a total of eleven tracks, including an impressive remake of THE CULT’s “Rain”. The chaotic, jack-hammer to the head you will get from “Coitus Interruptus” alone is worth the price of admission. The song shows off Bell’s pipes better than just about any other cut he’s ever been associated with. Other notable songs are the ‘GZR-FF’ sounding “Hanya” and the short but beautifully crafted acoustic “Emerald”, both of which left this reviewer in awe of their sheer beauty. If you can keep an open mind, a journey into Bell’s City of Fire is sure to win over even the most skeptical.
ROCKET REVIEW:
[starreview tpl=16]
CITY OF FIRE – “City of Fire” (CD)
(Candlelight Records/2010)
1. Carve Your Name
2. Gravity
3. Rising
4. A Memory
5. Spirit Guide
6. Coitus Interruptus
7. Hanya
8. Emerald
9. Hollow Land
10. Dark Tides
11. Rain
http://www.myspace.com/thecityoffire
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