Babylon Fire
Babylon Fire describe themselves as a band that refuses to jump on any bandwagon or follow any trend sweeping the rock and metal scene at the moment, instead aiming to carve out their own niche by creating a dynamic blend of a powerhouse rhythm section, heavy groove laden riffs, burning solos and infectious melodic vocals – which is a pretty good introduction if you ask me! Formed in 2007 based on a diet of Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath, the chaps extended their listening pleasure and built a heavy sound, a dark sound, and a sound they can firmly refer to as their own. The chaps were kind enough to drop us a line recently and send us through a copy of their album, Dark Horizons, to check out. Seeing as they sound pretty damned cool before even hearing the music, I figured I should probably hit play and check it out for myself!
Clarion Call sets things in motion for us, launching us straight into a rolling melee of hammering guitar lines, urgent vocals, pummelling bass rhythms and rolling drums – it’s a mix which is going to grab your attention from the word go and force you under their spell. Heavy and fast paced from the word go, this track sets the scene for the album and suggests that what we’re in for is going to be one hell of a ride, the sort of thing which is going to make you want to get down to a show, and the sort of thing which demonstrates just how able the guys in the band are. Darkness Draws Me In continues this theme further, this time lowering the pace a little just to make sure that the groove laden riffs are fully accentuated from the word go. Powerful once again, it’s striking how you can pick up on the classic influences within the band whilst still being able to detect their own signature sound within it, it’s a clever mix of old and new, something which is sure to set the guys up well moving forwards from here. To me though, this track in particular is one which is going to find its full potential on the live scene, the sort of thing which is going to take them from a band playing small venues, to a band hammering out their tracks to the masses on live stages all over the place – definitely a high point.
Blood In Blood Out returns us to the blistering pace which set us off on this journey, once again launching us full tilt into a hammering mix of distorted elements, managing to combine them all with aplomb and reminding us that this is serious stuff going on. There’s a definite sense of classic metal thrown into this track once again, combining the soaring vocal lines with hammering lead lines to form a sound which hooks you in and has you singing along after a couple of listens, the sort of thing which is sure to connect with fans of old and new alike. Stripped Away, Demonocracy and Shattered Crown all follow much the same conventions of this track, all presenting a slightly different take on things but still managing to keep the bar set at a hell of a high level. It’s when Gates To Oblivion comes about though that we’re shown another side of the band, another form, and another high point. Opening with a soft acoustic guitar line designed to lure you in, there’s a real sense of emotion running through the opening moments of this track, building and building as it goes, incorporating more and more elements as it goes in order to fully build the anticipation for what is to follow. As an intro/reflective moment on the album, this track may be short, but it shows off the ability of the band, and how they can take a softer moment between tracks to fully set up what follows.
What follows is Wrath of The Fallen, a track which quite simply blows the shit out of everything which has come before it, and sets the band a new bar to aim for. Whether it’s because of the intro which leads us into it, or whether it’s simply the combination of hammering riffs, soaring vocals and more pinch harmonics than you can shake a stick at I’m not sure, but it works! This track is a massive high point on the album, showing just what the band are capable of when it comes to combining the heavy rhythms with soaring melodies, taking their influences and turning them into a new beast, one which we shall call Babylon Fire-ish from here onwards! Standing up to such a massive high point is always going to be a tough job, but Cycle Of Addiction steps up to try to keep things going, not quite achieving the heady heights of that track but once again hammering out a track which is sure to keep you listening in. There’s a more updated sense to this one, almost like it’s a step up from the previous track and a new development on their approach to things. That said, this is another track which I think is going to be a stand out moment on the live scene, the sort of thing which will have fans jumping, throwing hands in the air and chanting along – definitely another one which is custom built for the live scene.
Within The Mouth Of Madness comes up next, opening with a spoken word moment before launching us head first into one of the heaviest moments on the album. Opening with a roar and hammering through the track at a speed which is sure to get pits going, this is another moment which raises the level once again and shows us the metal roots of the guys in Babylon Fire. Despite this all out heavy approach the guys have still managed to incorporate a real sense of melody into the mix, once again managing to form a track which is heavy, but accessible throughout. As if to show they’re not quite done yet, Rise Through Babylon comes up to take the lead next, once again smashing us in the face with pinch harmonics, powerful riffs and a rhythm section that’s going to shake the walls down to their foundations. Powerful rolling double bass drums abound as the track progresses, taking a track which would otherwise be a normal metal track and turning it into a whole new beast, once again showing us that Babylon Fire-ish approach we mentioned earlier on.
Closing the album with I Still Remember we’re left on a haunting note, the closing moments fading into being and crafting out one final moment designed to permeate into your head and stay there. The final moments on the album do what they should and leave us wanting more, whilst at the same time manage to sum up the album, almost like the blurb on a book, allowing you to listen to this track and know exactly what you’re in for with Babylon Fire, and know that it’s damned good.
Throughout this album I’ve been struck by the ability of Babylon Fire to craft tracks which combine modern heavy with classic heavy, riffs with intricate lead lines, roars with melodic singing, and heavy rhythm with softer melodies – it’s a mix which few bands can achieve yet here it’s happened with aplomb. This isn’t just an album you should get out and check out, this is an album you should tell all your friends about, buy people for Christmas, and use it to remind yourself what proper music sounds like.
To find out more about Babylon Fire, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Clarion Call sets things in motion for us, launching us straight into a rolling melee of hammering guitar lines, urgent vocals, pummelling bass rhythms and rolling drums – it’s a mix which is going to grab your attention from the word go and force you under their spell. Heavy and fast paced from the word go, this track sets the scene for the album and suggests that what we’re in for is going to be one hell of a ride, the sort of thing which is going to make you want to get down to a show, and the sort of thing which demonstrates just how able the guys in the band are. Darkness Draws Me In continues this theme further, this time lowering the pace a little just to make sure that the groove laden riffs are fully accentuated from the word go. Powerful once again, it’s striking how you can pick up on the classic influences within the band whilst still being able to detect their own signature sound within it, it’s a clever mix of old and new, something which is sure to set the guys up well moving forwards from here. To me though, this track in particular is one which is going to find its full potential on the live scene, the sort of thing which is going to take them from a band playing small venues, to a band hammering out their tracks to the masses on live stages all over the place – definitely a high point.
Blood In Blood Out returns us to the blistering pace which set us off on this journey, once again launching us full tilt into a hammering mix of distorted elements, managing to combine them all with aplomb and reminding us that this is serious stuff going on. There’s a definite sense of classic metal thrown into this track once again, combining the soaring vocal lines with hammering lead lines to form a sound which hooks you in and has you singing along after a couple of listens, the sort of thing which is sure to connect with fans of old and new alike. Stripped Away, Demonocracy and Shattered Crown all follow much the same conventions of this track, all presenting a slightly different take on things but still managing to keep the bar set at a hell of a high level. It’s when Gates To Oblivion comes about though that we’re shown another side of the band, another form, and another high point. Opening with a soft acoustic guitar line designed to lure you in, there’s a real sense of emotion running through the opening moments of this track, building and building as it goes, incorporating more and more elements as it goes in order to fully build the anticipation for what is to follow. As an intro/reflective moment on the album, this track may be short, but it shows off the ability of the band, and how they can take a softer moment between tracks to fully set up what follows.
What follows is Wrath of The Fallen, a track which quite simply blows the shit out of everything which has come before it, and sets the band a new bar to aim for. Whether it’s because of the intro which leads us into it, or whether it’s simply the combination of hammering riffs, soaring vocals and more pinch harmonics than you can shake a stick at I’m not sure, but it works! This track is a massive high point on the album, showing just what the band are capable of when it comes to combining the heavy rhythms with soaring melodies, taking their influences and turning them into a new beast, one which we shall call Babylon Fire-ish from here onwards! Standing up to such a massive high point is always going to be a tough job, but Cycle Of Addiction steps up to try to keep things going, not quite achieving the heady heights of that track but once again hammering out a track which is sure to keep you listening in. There’s a more updated sense to this one, almost like it’s a step up from the previous track and a new development on their approach to things. That said, this is another track which I think is going to be a stand out moment on the live scene, the sort of thing which will have fans jumping, throwing hands in the air and chanting along – definitely another one which is custom built for the live scene.
Within The Mouth Of Madness comes up next, opening with a spoken word moment before launching us head first into one of the heaviest moments on the album. Opening with a roar and hammering through the track at a speed which is sure to get pits going, this is another moment which raises the level once again and shows us the metal roots of the guys in Babylon Fire. Despite this all out heavy approach the guys have still managed to incorporate a real sense of melody into the mix, once again managing to form a track which is heavy, but accessible throughout. As if to show they’re not quite done yet, Rise Through Babylon comes up to take the lead next, once again smashing us in the face with pinch harmonics, powerful riffs and a rhythm section that’s going to shake the walls down to their foundations. Powerful rolling double bass drums abound as the track progresses, taking a track which would otherwise be a normal metal track and turning it into a whole new beast, once again showing us that Babylon Fire-ish approach we mentioned earlier on.
Closing the album with I Still Remember we’re left on a haunting note, the closing moments fading into being and crafting out one final moment designed to permeate into your head and stay there. The final moments on the album do what they should and leave us wanting more, whilst at the same time manage to sum up the album, almost like the blurb on a book, allowing you to listen to this track and know exactly what you’re in for with Babylon Fire, and know that it’s damned good.
Throughout this album I’ve been struck by the ability of Babylon Fire to craft tracks which combine modern heavy with classic heavy, riffs with intricate lead lines, roars with melodic singing, and heavy rhythm with softer melodies – it’s a mix which few bands can achieve yet here it’s happened with aplomb. This isn’t just an album you should get out and check out, this is an album you should tell all your friends about, buy people for Christmas, and use it to remind yourself what proper music sounds like.
To find out more about Babylon Fire, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls