BONFIRE – Byte The Bullet (2017)

After the release of their long desired double-album Pearls and the super successful 30th Anniversary 2016 Tour, BONFIRE have been busy recording the material for their brand new studio album “Byte The Bullet”, which will be released through UDR Music on March 24th, 2017.

A turning point for the band happened almost two years ago when Bonfire released ‘Glorious’ an album that contained very good songs with a singer that also was a perfect match. Next to Bonfire’s main man Hans Ziller it was David Reece who gave each of the songs a strong identity. The energy level was raising and it felt like the band’s coming back. This trend was fed by ‘Pearls’ that included many re-arranged / re-recorded Bonfire classics.

While the line-up on guitar, bass and drums showed some consistency it was the role of the singer that was the more fragile element in the group. David Reece left the band in Summer 2016 and a replace was found in no time. Talented German singer Michael Bormann joined and thing looked like getting back into shallow waters. Nobody could foresee that 2 months later the news was spread that Bormann left again.

Fortunately Ziller could hire with Alexx Stahl a new singer rather quickly and Bonfire could continue working on the next longplayer “Byte the Bullet”. And Stahl is a real find, his powerful vocals perfectly suit Bonfire 2017.
The opener “Power Train” sets the scene, a killer song and with seven minutes a surprisingly long one too. What’s better is the second shot on this tracklist. “Stand Up 4 Rock” is a powerful rocker that comes with a good punch, a catchy melody and chorus that’s made for live show.

The power ballad “Without You” highlight’s Bonfire’s passion for such songs, and shows that new singer Alexx Stahl is more than capable of slowing things down as well as belting out songs.
There’s a great cover of Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath” which Bonfire turned it into a powerful hard rock number with a modern punch
The groovy “Some Kinda Evil” provides some classic hard rock touch, followed by “Lonely Nights” which is much more in the trademark Bonfire melodic hard style, and in the end we have a new version of “Sweet Obsession” (which of course made it’s first appearance on their legendary 1987 album ‘Fireworks‘) that rounds off the album in great style.

With “Byte The Bullet” Bonfire are releasing their strongest album since ‘Point Blank’ (1989), and that’s saying alot!
It comes with songs that are fresh, dynamic, melodic and powerful. And the fact that the guys teamed up with UDR Records feeds the hope of a sustainable continuation of this revitalized German Melodic Hard Rock institution.
HIGHLY Recommended

01 – Power Train
02 – Stand up 4 Rock
03 – Praying 4 A Miracle
04 – Some Kinda Evil
05 – Lonely Nights
06 – Byte The Bullet
07 – Locomotive Breath
08 – Reach For The Sky
09 – Sweet Surrender
10 – Friedensreich
11 – InstruMetal
12 – Too Far from Heaven
13 – Without You
14 – Sweet Obsession

Alexx Stahl: Vocals
Hans Ziller: Guitars
Frank Pané: Guitars
Ronnie Parkes: Bass
Tim Breideband: Drums

PRE ORDER;
www.amazon.com/Byte-Bullet-Bonfire/dp/B01MYADC6W
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