The success of any metal production is based almost always on the sum of its individual parts, which have to fit together homogeneously to then ideally impress their listeners in their entirety. With Firewind, these details are easy to identify: On one hand, there’s the awe-inspiring guitar work of exceptional musician Gus G. and his breathtaking finger action as well as his authentic feel for catchy and at the same time powerful songs. He is supported by German singer Herbie Langhans, who has made a name for himself as a member of bands/projects such as Avantasia, Sinbreed, etc.
Gus G. and Langhans are a tight unit not only in the artistic sense, they are also colleagues who share ideas in musical as well as in organisational contexts. “Herbie has an incredibly multi-faceted voice that complements our songs perfectly. He also has a great deal of experience in this industry,” says the former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G., praising his frontman. “This combination makes it easier for me to develop the right songs for Firewind while keeping an eye on the business side of things.”
The latest product of this fruitful collaboration bears the programmatic title ‘Stand United’ and will be available from AFM/Believe from 1 March 2024. For their eagerly waiting fans, this new era began back in February 2023 with the arrival of Firewind’s first lead single ‘Destiny Calling’ that was released during a sold-out tour across Europe and UK with Finnish rising stars, Beast in Black. Some of the album’s standout tracks are the anthemic ‘Salvation Day’, the massive and modern sounding ‘Fallen Angel’ and the more radio friendly track ‘Chains’. In line with that, a co-headlining tour with Power Metal legends Masterplan has been scheduled to commence at the end of February 2024 (see below for dates).
Gus G. and Herbie Langhans have composed and recorded a total of nine new songs together with their producer Dennis Ward (Magnum, Unisonic) as well as a cover of the 80s Pop Rock classic ‘Talking in Your Sleep’, originally recorded by The Romantics but giving it a Metal twist in the style of Firewind. The nine songs also bear testament to Firewind’s sheer enthusiasm and feature a number of interesting themes. “I wouldn’t exactly call ‘Stand United’ a classic concept album, but the album title indicates what we’re about thematically,” explains Gus G. who has also contributed with more lyric ideas on this one than any album before. “This world seems to be getting more and more out of balance, what with environmental disasters, the pandemic, the wars currently raging all over the globe. In such times, it’s more important than ever for mankind to stand close together instead of fighting each other. That’s what ‘Stand United’ is about!”
This basic idea is also reflected in the cover artwork courtesy of Costin Chioreanu (Grave, Mayhem, among others). Gus: “I always loved the artwork of our debut album, which was based on a real hand painting. With ‘Stand United’ being our 10th album, I wanted an equally authentic template and that’s how I came across Costin. The collage of faces on the cover represent war, greed, betrayal, but also love and unity, which are some of the album’s lyrical themes. I’m just as proud of the artwork as I am of the songs on our new album!” An opinion that Firewind fans are guaranteed to share!
