Into the Age of Fire

Usually I like Iron Pegasus releases, but exceptions confirm the norm. Flame’s debut does not make my day. As far as I can see, the album fell more or less on deaf ears (only one revie so far), and I have an idea why. A pretty big problem of the album is its production. “Into the Age of Fire” sounds noisy, ill-defined and annoying instead of heavy and merciless. It reinforces the hectic fidgeting of the band. The guys seem to be of the opinion that it is a good idea to ruin their own songs. Tracks like “Lust, Flesh, Desire” sound like an accident in the goods station. The rumbling instrumental section and the voice, recorded with far too much reverb, form an unpleasant alliance and blur into one big clutter.

That’s a pity, because under the many layers of noise, some acceptable or even good riffs appear. But to be honest, this does not mean that I can identify a robust substance. “Internal Wrath (Infernal Hate)” holds some good moments and well done breaks and “Dark Demonic Domain” also does not suck, although its dynamic structure gets lost in the pissy production (sorry that I come back to this point again). Flame certainly felt they had recorded a particularly boisterous piece of work. Perhaps they were also patting themselves on the back for falling below the 30-minute limit. But some grains of maturity would have made this work better.

Surely, black thrash metal is no style that is based on atmosphere, but this is no license for compositions that do not trigger any emotions. This lack of mood and spirit has the side-effect that the single songs are like two peas in a pod. Yes, the album has its comparatively bright sequences and Flame do not use inadequate tools. Their kind of riffing and the song patterns do not hurt the guidelines of the bastard genre. Nevertheless, an album should be more than a single bloodlust. Flame simply forgot to set a few contrasts, for example one or two sustainable mid-tempo sequences or a quiet intro in the middle of the album. (By the way, the senseless intro “Hell’s Flame Is Burning…” shortens the net playing time of the record by another 1.5 minutes.) Thus, I think Flame just entered the record studio too early and they did not really have a vision of their sound. Typical beginner’s mistake, so to say.

Flame’s first major full-length, “Into the Age of Fire”, showcases a flagitious display of speed, power, and unwavering intensity. “Into the Age of Fire” highlights a well-balanced combination of hard-headed breakneck thrash (think old Destruction on meth) in conjunction with the essential elements of grim, raw northern European style black metal.

Essentially, “Into the Age of Fire” could be described as being ‘stripped down’. All of the most basic elements are here: A guitar, a bass, a drum kit and a throat, and that’s it. Melody is largely devoid on this album, save for the rare lead or brief solo that staggers up through the mix and burns brightly and quickly before being washed away. Fancy musical orientation is swapped for bare boned riffs and rapid fire drumming that often follows the same two to three patterns continually throughout a track, changing with the transitions of a verse into chorus, and vice versa.

Production on the drums and vocals are pushed up front, characteristically loud and noisy, but not to a degree where it would exceed it’s threshold and the signal would begin to break up, but potted just perfectly up front that Blackvenom’s punishing, distorted vocal delivery makes the back of your eyes rattle while simultaneously being wrapped around Pimea’s turret-like, fill-heavy drumming like a violent car accident you can’t help but stare at. If it doesn’t make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, ask for your dad’s Billy Ocean records…

The guitar tracks, as previously stated, are bare and dry, reminiscent of the old age thrash titans. Chords are attached to spines of palm-muted single notes, working in conjunction with the drums to not just advance the tracks, but to bang them relentlessly into your skull. The guitar tone is nothing exciting, but works well within the mix and doesn’t wrestle with other instruments for control over the sound. There isn’t a great deal of technicality to the riffs; any well-versed guitar player could pick apart anyone of these songs in a single sitting, but the point is, it works with and draws from the drums and vocals to bolster it’s sound without relying on the smoke and mirrors of modern production to fatten and further ground it’s stance in the mix.

As far as the bass…it’s on the back of a milk carton somewhere, under big bold letters that spell: “Missing”.

The lyrics are pretty traditional and don’t offer anything far too exciting. It’s your standard ‘crush the holy trinity under the banner of hell’ routine, and if the vocals weren’t so damn punishing, this would be an element that would have hurt this album.

Overall, this is a great black/thrash metal album. While the vocals and general musicianship isn’t too terribly exciting, the general layout and formula of this album; from the rapid fire drumming, and stripped down old-school riffing to the sheer vocal onslaught meshes together so well, that it creates an aggressive, menacing, high-tempo album: a classic example of how the whole beast is indefinitely greater then the sum of its limbs. “Into the Age of Fire” is a deserving listen to anyone who wants something fast, heavy and devoid of any and all musical and image-related nonsense. Flame has paid its homage and worship to the old school, while brazenly injecting its own concoction of primitive rawness, animal like aggression and inhuman relentlessness to the age old formula.