When I interviewed my good pal James Durbin earlier this year upon the release of the sophomore album from his namesake project, Screaming Steel (if you haven’t gotten on it already, do so), I couldn’t help but ask about the fate of Cleanbreak: The supergroup consisting of Durbin, Riot guitarist Mike Flyntz, and Stryper rhythm section Robert Sweet on drums and Perry Richardson on bass. After all, considering the here today, gone tomorrow nature of countless past Frontiers curated ventures, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to imagine Cleanbreak had met a similar fate. But alas, Durbin reassured me the project was alive and well…or at least half of it was.
Sweet and Richardson had since departed, fully focusing their energies on Stryper, while Durbin and Flyntz were subsequently paired with the usual Frontiers hitmakers for album #2: Alessandro Del Vecchio, Giancarlo Floridia, and so forth. Considering Del Vecchio is no longer part of the Frontiers stable save for his primary musical outfit, Edge of Forever, I can’t help but think this is one of the last albums to showcase his work for the label in a songwriting, arrangement, and performing capacity. Because I’ll tell you what, Durbin wasn’t joking when he said there was “a lot of Alessandro stamp on this record”, the record in question being We Are the Fire.
Whereas 2022’s Coming Home was a throwback to the days of ’80s metal mania, chock full of larger than life melodies, fiery guitarwork, and choruses that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Stryper album, We Are the Fire is a hodgepodge of melodic, symphonic, and power metal, all with a strong euro persuasion and a Frontiers twist (think along the lines of Crowne). Sure, straightforward rockers like “Can’t Lose Hope” and “Deal with Yourself” wouldn’t sound out of place on the band’s debut with their blatantly ’80s aura. Even the Kieran Robertson penned “Start to Breathe” recalls classic arena metal, which makes one ponder if it was initially written for his old boss, Mr. Geoff Tate.
Aside from these sporadic moments of metallic nostalgia, however, We Are the Fire doubles down on this aforementioned amalgamation of all things polished and grandiose. The opening title cut boasts a strong euro power metal edge, emboldened by Durbin’s superhuman vocals, while symphonically natured moments like “Never Gone” and “Bide the Time” convey a tangible sense of drama and desperation. In what is truly a rarity for a Frontiers affair, I found myself greatly enjoying the obligatory ballad, in this case “Love Again”, which is so pomp that it could pass for a deep cut off a blind ’80s AOR bargain bin buy. The closing “Resilience in Our Souls” is another standout with its explosive delivery and Riot-esque riffage.
While We Are the Fire is a *ahem* clean break from its predecessor to say the least *ba dum tss*, it does a rock solid job conveying its purpose, with no more than a couple songs I’d dismiss as middle of the road (“Unbreakable” and “Breathless”, for those curious). The album plays it smart, sandwiching 11 songs into a little over 40 minutes, as opposed to torturing us with the all too frequent 15 song, 60+ minute outing that weighs down so many melodically inclined acts. True to its title, We Are the Fire is a scorcher, guaranteed to bring the heat to those who prefer their metal on the melodic side in these upcoming winter months.
7 out of 10
Label: Frontiers Records
Genre: Melodic Heavy Metal
For fans of: Crowne, New Horizon, Durbin
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