Review by Vai Thomas
The Doomsday Clock, set in consultation with the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, currently stands at ninety seconds to midnight – the closest to global cataclysm it has ever been, on account of wars, epidemics, and the overall political climate, amongst various other factors. It is no cliché to state that times such as these bring out the best and the worst out of people. When implemented properly, music serves as one of the greatest catalysts of change. Virginia-based metal band Age Of Fire exudes fiery awe and raw candor in their live album, "Live from the Tempest"
Having set out to create their own style of heavy metal, infusing elements of thrash, symphonic, melodic, and progressive, Age Of Fire, through their eleven-track album, have attained a resounding success. They have crafted their own sound along with immense prowess and technique while touching on relevant issues. Both sound and message are etched onto the listener’s mind in an indelible fashion – as if it is the very intention of the genre. The eleven tracks (all performed and recorded live in the studio) delightfully rise to the occasion. For instance, "Seeds of Tomorrow", a follow-up to the fiery introductory title is nihilistic and rousing all at once – highly evocative of memories of listening to the Immigrant Song – with lyrics such as “Head in the sand, our fatal illusion, Status quo, no change no more, the fatal delusion”. "Judgement Day" brings up the tempo and fieriness of its precursor through its impeccable virtuosity and dynamic range (particularly evident towards the final verse with the ever-purposefully in-motion bass guitar’s lines complementing the lyrics). “Shredding” is given a whole new meaning through its emphasis on the liveliest traits of both heavy metal and symphonic classical. "Children of the Night" with its indispensable downtempo swagger, stands as testament to the album’s creativity in terms of its songwriting – having adapted themes and legends of vampires and werewolves. This number is brilliant in it's use of metaphor as it portrays vigilantes against the sinister. The conviction-infused growling vocals, perfectly at one with the instrumental mix, elevates the quality of the number’s badassery, as does the lead guitar’s performance of its harmonics and novel improvisations.
Amongst the Shadows" takes over in spearheading the fiery virtuosity sprung forth from Judgement Day, and carries on its themes about rampant division and hatred in society propagated by sinister forces. Here, the instrumental section, at the midway stage, brings about a scorching transition through its tempo changes and electric guitar-runs over the thumping quarter notes exuded by the bass before ringing in the upbeat transition and back to the song’s original tempo and key right to the end.
"Light in the Darkness" sees a touch of contemporary rock ballad infused with its clean guitar textures. It deals with the relatively more hopeful themes along the lines of “darkest before the dawn”, before the distorted textures bring back the anthemic and fiery. This piece is another worthy testament to the album’s resounding dynamic range.
"Time is Running Out", a rousing finale to the live album – apocalyptic in tone and word – with lyrics such as “Sands are running low, no way to stop the flow. Cannot change this course, beware of the pale horse” with the relentlessly thunderous fill-ins and upbeat grooves laid out by Bill Rad Morris on drums personifies and emphases the repercussions of the current political landscape impending doomsday – a trait that has served to be the signature hallmark of the album.
Throughout it all, the mix has been established definitively well, with a consistency that befits the virtuosity of the performances, both vocal and instrumental. In the end, "Live from the Tempest" manages to accomplish precisely what it set out to do – craft an album that is at once uproariously breathtaking and liberating and that showcases the very traits that have made great metal with no shortage of buoyancy or virtuosity. Greg Brown and Age of Fire have carved out a winner that is a highly worthy addition to the heavy metal genre.
About Age Of Fire
Formed in South Florida in 1988, Age of Fire set out to create its own style of heavy metal. To date, they have music that touches on thrash, symphonic, melodic, and progressive metal. Having played clubs throughout the East Coast, they disbanded in 1991 but were resurrected by founding member Greg Brown in 2018 with Bill Rad Morris on drums and Rick Brown, aka Dynamic, on bass. Since then, their music has been heard on over 1,000 traditional and satellite radio stations worldwide. They are currently on tour in support of their 2022 release "Live from the Tempest."
The band continues to be featured in international media including Metal Hammer (Portugal), The Metal Mag (Europe), Fireworks (UK), Hard Music Base (Slovakia), Permafrost (Norway), Dead Rhetoric (USA/Sweden), Bunker (Russia), Iron Backstage (USA), Battlehelm (USA/UK/Sweden), High-Speed Hangover (UK), Encyclopaedia Metallum (Canada), Decibel (USA) and Megadeth’s Megacruise, to name a few. Age of Fire will be performing at the legendary Whisky a Go-Go in December 2023 in support of Burning Witches as part of their World Tour. Solar guitars, Scorpion drumsticks, and Dirtbag clothing endorse them.
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