THROUGH FIRE

"Breathe" (Sumerian; 2017)

Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton

When I first started listening to Through Fire's "Breathe" CD, I kinda rolled my eyes. The first track, "Reborn, Intro," is an annoying 65-second instrumental track that does little to entertain or to set the stage for what is to come. It just kind of exists. Then Track 2, "Breakout," comes along and instantly I thought, "Oh, they're one of those bands," boasting a sound in the vein of 3 Door Down, Seether, Three Days Grace and the like.

And that's okay. Nothing wrong with those bands except they're not really my cup of tea. I mean, I don't dislike them, I just don't listen to them often. Regardless, I continued to listen to "Breathe."

And it started to grow on me. I liked the driving rhythms, the strong vocals, intelligent lyrics and the occasional burst of guitar solo fury. By the time the CD was over, I was ready to listen to it again.

Most of the tracks are heavy rockers, that could easily fall into the "hard rock" category but probably not the "metal" category. There are a couple of slower tracks, but they are buoyed by sludgy guitars that add some weight. My favorite tracks were the first single, "Stronger," whose lyrics I love and "Take It All Away," one of the heaviest tracks on the CD.

Also included is a cover of Ellie Goulding's "Lights" (which other reviewers have called sinful but I, not being familiar with the original, didn't have any problem with). The Deluxe Edition of this CD also includes an acoustic version of the title track, which works very well.

Last, but not least, please make certain you're buying the un-edited version of this CD. Music shouldn't be edited and, based on some of the consumer reviews on Amazon, there is an edited version of this CD out there. Eeew.

For more information, check out http://throughfiremusic.com/

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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Copyright © 2017 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
Revised: 12 Feb 2024 12:34:08 -0500.