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The ’20s have been a bit of a wilderness period for German melodic metal veterans Bonfire. It’s been half a decade since they last struck with an album of original music in the highly enjoyable Fistful of Fire (2020). In the years since, they’ve released a two disc acoustic collection (2021’s Roots), as well as a series of 2023 re-recordings that saw the band revisiting their most precious output, Don’t Touch the Light, Fire Works, and Point Blank. Why they went this route is beyond me, but then again, the same can be said for 99% of re-recordings ever made. Amidst all these unplugged interpretations and nostalgic revisits, I and many others in the melodic rock community wondered aloud, when will we get a new Bonfire album proper?
It only took five years, but as the old saying goes, better late than never. Bonfire have returned, fired up as ever, with their latest effort, Higher Ground. It is their first original album to feature drummer Fabio Alessandrini (Annihilator, Enforcer, Lockhart) and even more importantly, singer Dyan Mair (more on him in a bit). Frank Pané and Ronnie Parkes hold it down on guitar and bass respectively, while founding guitarist Hans Ziller continues to stand tall as the sole survivor of the band’s ’80s heyday, eager to wave the Bonfire banner more fervently than ever. This sense of prideful urgency dominates the songs that make up Higher Ground.
For the most part, Higher Ground is a no-nonsense melodic metal album, adhering to the modern production of say Eclipse or latter day Judas Priest, yet staying true to their ’80s musical roots. This formula shows on songs like “I Will Rise”, “Jealousy”, and the title track, with their fist-pumping riffage and anthemic spirit. “Lost All Control” gloriously channels the euro power metal direction Bonfire adopted on their late ’10s output, while “Come Hell or High Water” stands as the album’s biggest outlier, seeing our beloved Teutonic titans tackle Sabbathian flavored doom metal. Yes, you read that correctly. Make of it what you will!
The more melodically inclined AKA accessible songs on here channel the feel-good bliss of those ’80s glory days, particularly the passionate “When love Comes Down”, motivational “Rock ‘n’ Roll Survivor”, and my choice cut, “I Died Tonight”. I know it’s only January, but “I Died Tonight” is already a serious contender for AOR song of the year with its flawless harmonies, retro synths, and precise guitar soloing. Elevating all of these songs to the next level is Mair, whose soaring pipes fit Bonfire like a glove. Of all the singers they’ve had since the 2015 departure of classic singer Claus Lessmann, Mair is easily the best fit by far, and I hope he sticks around for years to come.
Far from groundbreaking, yet enjoyable nevertheless, Higher Ground is a return to form for Bonfire, guaranteed to appeal to longtime fans and bound to make some new ones along the way. It’s most definitely the sound of a band who are ready to leave the hardships of the past behind them, eager to trailblaze their way forward, looking ahead to their 40th anniversary that lurks right around the corner come 2026 (54th if you include their ’70s/’80s run as Cacumen). It’s “Never Surrender” for these vets, but you knew that already.
7 out of 10
Label: Frontiers Records
Genre: Melodic Heavy Metal
For fans of: Scorpions, Pretty Maids, Accept
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