Italian band GUNFIRE was originally an active unit back in the 1980’s releasing one EP back then before calling it quits in 1986. Some 15 years later the band was resurrected however, and finally got to launch their debut album in 2004. Following another long phase of silence, at least as a recording unit, Gunfire then reappeared in 2014, releasing the album “Age of Supremacy” through Italian label Jolly Roger Records.
For a band that have their historic roots back in the 1980’s, and cites 80’s metal as a source of inspiration to boot, Gunfire is a band that appears to take a rather more innovative approach to their music than many others with a similar history and stated influence. Just a brief look at the album data will indicate that this is a band not having a typical go in this context, with a 10 track album clocking in at a beefy 67 minutes, and considering that one of those tracks is a brief atmospheric opening only, we have a production here where the average song clocks in at around 7 minutes. Normally something you’ll mainly find in progressive metal circles, and not all that common among 80’s metal bands.
What does become clear fairly soon is that this is a band that incorporate numerous impulses and stylistic details into their compositions, to the point that narrowing down their music into any particular subsection of metal isn’t all the easiest. Throughout this album they alternate between multiple aspects of metal, most often within each and every composition too, and those fond of tracking down associations and with a good memory may have a field day on this album due to that aspect of the production alone.
But in general terms I’d say that Gunfire operates within a small handful of key stylistic orientations. The first of them is a majestic, riff-driven style comparable to the likes of Saxon and Iron Maiden. A second aspect is a gentler version of this style, rather frequently with atmospheric effects, floating keyboards or digital orchestration added in, which isn’t too far away from the type of music Queensryche explored on their classic album “Operation Mindcrime”. That the lead vocalist in Gunfire has a voice not too unlike Geoff Tate’s adds a slight emphasis to this notion, although Roberto Borrelli’s chosen delivery style is more intense and at times with a curious choice of tonal range, making his vocals something of an acquired taste I suspect. The third subset of metal that is a recurring feature is more of an intense, hammering speed metal oriented affair, bordering the generic on one hand and closer to the slight rougher version of it explored by bands such as Chastain back in the 1980’s on the other. A bit more infrequent we’re also treated to vintage, majestic progressive metal here, with powerful keyboard and guitar combinations the order of the day. A slight touch of the gentler heavy metal explored by the likes of Dokken is also a part of the proceedings, and at least on one occasion I also noted down a brief flurry that may or may not have been a nod in the direction of the reformed Deep Purple of the 1980’s.
As one might assume from the above descriptions, this entire album is a fairly elaborate affair, and just a wee bit more challenging that your ordinary 80’s metal inspired production. In terms of compositional structure this is, in fact, a progressive metal album, but as some progressive metal fans have strong opinions on how progressive metal should have a certain sound and specific arrangements as well, this isn’t a production that will sway everyone in that fan base, even when the entire album is a conceptual one.
Still, as far as I’m concerned this is a well made progressive metal album, combining various forms of more or less 80’s tinged metal into a sophisticated, progressive union, with clever use of atmospheric details, keyboards and what I presume is digital orchestration to create a detailed, thorough and suitably challenging run through a conceptual story line. The at times slightly unusual lead vocal style and a mix and production that comes across as slightly substandard are just about the only negatives here, and both of them are minor. All in all a well made and compelling disc, and I’d estimate that those with an affection for both old school progressive metal as well as classic heavy and speed metal from the mid 80’s should find this CD to be a compelling addition to their music collections.
My rating: 86/100
