Firebird – Double Diamond

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Fans are used to Firebird presenting them with an entirely different side to guitarist Bill Steer, who made his name as a founding member of grind legends Carcass. What they might not be prepared for is a different side to Firebird. Although not a million miles away from 2009′s Grand Union, fans will find the dirty bottom-end groove prevalent on that album missing here (apart from on the excellent, brooding Arabesque) in favour of more polished blues-rock riffs similar to Irish youngsters The Answer, with a little Warren Haynes mixed in. Everything about the sound of the album has a polished-but-still-rough feel to it, from Bill’s as-melodic-as-I-can-be vocals which still have a bluesy authenticity, and the nicely produced guitar tones with just the right about of fuzz; Firebird’s live sound is captured very well here. Around half of these songs were debuted at shows last year before the album was recorded (and later released in Japan only) and at the time they slotted seemlessly alongside the older songs. On the record they move away from the bassy stoner rock sound the band were known for, and embrace a classic rock ethos. This all adds up to Double Diamond being considerably less immediate compared to previous efforts, but a nevertheless thoroughly mature collection where substantial effort has been put into making sure the guitar work is consistently interesting and every song has enough hooks to make them all concert setlist options. The only song to break five minutes is closing power ballad (it’s unfair to give a magnificent song such as this that title, but it is fitting) as Firebird keep everything short and snappy without excluding guitar solos or drum fills along the way. There’s a lot to pique the interest musically and lyrically all the way through, and the wonderful final track is more than worth the effort.

Written by Andy Lye
More: 2011, Albums, Hard Rock, Quick.Play Reviews, Firebird