Brother Firetribe: Sunbound (Spinefarm)

Finnish melodic rock supergroup Brother Firetribe is back with a new album, titled Sunbound. It’s the fourth full-length album from the band, which features vocalist Pekka Heino (Leverage) and guitarist Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish), and it was eagerly anticipated. The band has perfected their brand of classic-sounding melodic rock with each new release, so expectations were high for Sunbound.

Unlike the last couple of Brother Firetribe albums, Sunbound was kind of…underwhelming, at least at first. I’m used to having a couple of massive, catchy “hits” to grab my attention, and I didn’t find many of those here. “Taste of a Champion” was the first song that really stood out, and I was convinced that was a cover song because it had such a strong ‘80s “training montage” vibe. There is an ‘80s cover – John Parr’s “Heart of the Matter” – that’s another major highlight. The rest of the album is good, don’t get me wrong, but lacks the impact and staying power of Diamond in the Firepit and Heart Full of Fire. “Restless Heart” has a cool ballad-ish feel, and album closer “Phantasmagoria” has a symphonic rock element. I wanted to like “Indelible Heroes,” because it is catchy and pays tribute to some fallen rock icons, but the cheese factor on that one is pretty high.

It feels wrong to call an album where Pekka Heino sounds this fantastic and the musicianship and production are so good a disappointment, but it’s hard not to feel a little bit let down by Sunbound. It’s a solid and enjoyable album, but this is Brother Firetribe we’re talking about. I can’t be the only one who was expecting greatness.