Firebird

The band entered Berno studios in Malmö, Sweden on May 19th to begin recording its new album for an October/November 2008 release via Rise Above Records. The group spent two weeks recording and mixing at the same studio where there second album, 2001's "Deluxe", was conceived.

The current band lineup includes Bill Steer (vocals, guitar), Ludwig Witt (drums) and the band's latest addition, Smok Smoczkiewicz (bass).

Firebird, the British band led by guitarist Bill Steer, will release its 5th album, "Grand Union", on April 20th, 2009. The CD was recorded and mixed over a 2 week period in May 2008 at Berno studios in Malmo, Sweden where Firebird's second album, 2001's "Deluxe", was conceived.

"Grand Union" features a couple of tracks that are "way heavier than the stuff from the last two records," according to Steer, plus no less than three cover versions: James Taylor's "One Man Dog", Duster Bennett's "Worried Mind", and a Humble Pie number.

Firebird's current lineup includes Bill Steer (vocals, guitar), Ludwig Witt (drums) and the band's latest addition,
Smok Smoczkiewicz (bass).

"Grand Union" is released today in the USA through Metal Blade records. I highly recommend it...

Here's a review to give you a taster. It's also available online via Amazon.com and Apple's iTune Store. To hear samples visit their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/firebirdblues

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Play this album for a friend but don’t tell them what year it was recorded. When they’re done moaning about how rock was so much better in the 1970’s you can let them know it’s the brand new record from Firebird and their fifth overall. It’s out in the UK on Rise Above and will be available in the US on Metal Blade on 6/23/09. For the uninitiated, Firebird plays pure 70’s power trio rock in the vein of The James Gang, Cream, Grand Funk Railroad, Groundhogs, Mountain, and ZZ Top. Lots of bands aspire to recreate the old sounds but Firebird is one of the few to capture the true groove of those bands.

Guitarist Bill Steer has been leading Firebird for almost a decade now after his time with grindcore and death metal pioneers Napalm Death and Carcass. It’s always been interesting to me that people like Bill and Nicke Andersson (Entombed, Hellacopters) made the transition from extreme metal to extremely retro rock. They’ve also both recently gone back to their roots, with Bill participating in a Carcass reunion tour and Nicke putting together his Death Breath metal project.

Grand Union is Firebird’s first album since 2006’s excellent Hot Wings and opening song “Blue Flame” picks up right where they left off. There’s a bluesy guitar riff, plenty of cowbell and a double time jam at the end. What more could you want? The production on this album is great. Smok Smoczkiewicz’s bass has some of the best Ampeg SVT filth since Dusty Hill and Mel Schacher spanked the plank. The drums of Ludwig Witt are resonant, hard hitting and deep in the pocket. Then there’s the guitar tone. Bill Steer plays a Les Paul Junior just like his hero Leslie West did in Mountain and gets a lot of variety from a simple 1 pickup guitar. Bill’s vocals explore the region between Mark Farner and Steve Marriot while keeping in mind their heroes Howard Tate and Bobby Bland.

Another thing that sets Firebird apart from most of their contemporaries is that they keep their arrangements lean and mean. Most of the songs here are under 4 minutes. That’s very refreshing since so many other bands stretch things out so much these days. “Jack The Lad” is just over 2 minutes and leaves you wanting more. Slower songs like “Lonely Road” and “Release Me” have some moody organ playing that’s reminiscent of Grand Funk’s ballads.

The big surprises are the 3 cover songs. I’ve never heard James Taylor’s “Fool For You” (and I don’t want to either) but I bet it sounds nothing like this and doubt that it includes any Santana III-style congas. Bill’s harmonica gets a big work out on Duster Bennett’s swinging blues “Worried Mind.” The least surprising cover is “4 Day Creep,” an old Ida Cox blues song that Humble Pie tore up on the classic Performance: Rockin’ The Fillmore live album. You can tell these guys are having a blast jamming out like they’re playing in a garage and pissing off the entire neighborhood.

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"Double Diamond" Japanese release

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The new Firebird album, "Double Diamond", will be released in Japan through Trooper Entertainment in July. It was recorded and mixed in January at Arno Krabman's Graveland Studio in the Netherlands, then mastered in Amsterdam during late March.

Musically this recording heralds a new chapter for the band, seeing Steer and Witt draw inspiration from some of their earliest Metal favourites such as Budgie, Fist and Tank.

The ten songs featured are:

"Soul Saviour"
"Ruined"
"Bright Lights"
"For Crying Out Loud"
"Farewell"
"A Wing & A Prayer"
"Pound Of Flesh"
"Arabesque"
"Lose Your Delusions"
"Pantomime"

Deals for Europe and the USA have yet to be confirmed. The band welcomes any interested parties.

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"Double Diamond", the new album from UK rockers, Firebird, is now available via Trooper Entertainment (Japan) and Rise Above Records (Europe).



Be sure and check it out... they also have a bunch of UK dates lined up for September and December...

Sept 1 2010 7:00P The Fighting Cocks Kingston, Kingston
Sept 2 2010 7:00P The Star Inn, Guilford
Sept 3 2010 7:00P Champions, Bournemouth
Sept 4 2010 7:00P The George, Andover
Sept 5 2010 7:00P The Soul Cellar, Southampton
Sept 11 2010 8:00P An Club, Athens, GREECE
Dec 15 2010 7:00P Sound Control, Manchester
Dec 17 2010 7:00P The Asylum, Birmingham
Dec 18 2010 7:00P Talking Heads, Southampton
Dec 19 2010 7:00P O2 Academy Islington, London