FIREAXE (USA)

Let me just say that Brian Voth is one of the most hard-working individuals in the underground. After the last work of his Unholy Rapture, he attacks us with this Dream of Death, over 70 minutes of new fucking metal! A blend of power metal and hard rock, Fireaxe is a complete project to say the least. The vocals are totally influenced by Manowar or Savatage, and other bands like that. The music has a slight progressive bend to it. This time, too, Brian's got this stuff on CD. Which helps because the songs here are so long that I could only take a few at a sitting. Now, I'm still not impressed by the drumsound, but I'll admit, the programming here is far more impressive than on the previous album. Songs like "Earthbound Goddess" are full of meaning. I can only hope that Mr. Voth gets the recognition he wants, because he certainly works his ass off on these things. What he needs is a band. Somebody please help him out with this. The songs here definitely have commercial appeal. And some of the riffs just rock. For the next one, Brian needs a drumset and a better studio (where he can sicken his guitar tone a bit). To say the least, on A Dream of Death he has proven his worth as a metal songwriter. Another thing to cut out is the vocals before the music comes in. -- Azzie