Gunfire

Thanks to the new album by the power/speed Italian legends, Gunfire, I had the possibility to listen to the older tracks that we could find only the original version of the rare, anonym EP of 1984. Gunfire was one of those bands that never reached the success just because they played the wrong music, in the wrong country. Still nowadays “Italy” doesn’t get on very well with “metal” and you can reach the success only through hyper melodic and dull styles.

Anyway, go back to the music. As I said, they play the classic, speed/power metal, so influenced by the American and English wave. The guitars are simple but quite fast and often they sound a bit Judas Priest in style with fast passages and semi palm muting. The drums are essential and a bit Motorhead style for the fast up tempo, while the vocals can be so melodic and scratchy at the same time.

The refrain on the opener “Hard Steel” is great for the catchiness and the epic feeling. The solos are brilliant and old style with the classic melodies united to the speed in tapping and tremolo picking. The production is great to me because is really 80s in style and sound. You can really imagine these guys playing in an old video, a bit faded in colours for the period…just awesome. The essentialities of the tracks with these melodies immediately capture you.

“Thunder of War” is a bit more mid paced but very epic, especially in the chorus with several battling vocals. The singer is just great because he’s never on boring falsetto but on high tonality that conserve a more melodic and incisive timbre. The title track is, if we want, the most obscure one for the guitars work and the vocals, this time lower in tune. It’s always speed metal but the verses are a bit murkier than the always epic refrain.

“Wings of Death” is another massive march under epic speed metal patterns. The vicious but melodic vocals reminded me a bit those by Steve Sylvester (Death SS). The atmosphere is again very doomy and dark. This can be described as the classic dark metal that in the 80s was the real deal in Italy. The guitars solos, as usual, are great with lots of melodies and tapping parts.

All in all, a small gem of pure metal. It’s a rarity but you can listen to it by buying the new album. It’s an excellent opportunity to discover this great EP and a big piece of the Italian metal history.