HANGFIRE – Burn (2025) *HQ*
Hailing from Washington State, HANGFIRE bring together the formidable talents of incredible guitarist Sean ‘Shredder’ Searls (Tyraels Ascension), road warrior bassist Steven Tolbeck, hard hitting drummer Shannon ‘The Cannon’ Laird (For The Love Of Suffering) and vocalist Jenea Fiore – one of the most exceptional new voices in metal today.
As soon as their debut album ”Burn” begins with opening track, ‘Hunger‘, you know you are in for an amazing ride. Jenea’s voice is indisputably world class, the riffs and solos possess that indefinable ‘x factor’, delivering the thrill that only the best metal can, while the rhythm section operate as a telepathically connected machine – laying down granite foundations of superlative heaviness.
Be prepared for crunchy chord combinations aligned with Screaming / Defenders-era Judas Priest, power clean vocals in the style of Warlock, and a varied songwriting plus a fantastic production sound.
Twelve tracks of fist pumping traditional melodic heavy metal with enough drive and energy to take those older influences to impress upon a current generation looking for new artists to treasure – ”Burn” will be one of those debut albums talk about for many, many years.
They waste no time, tearing into “Hunger” with atomic aplomb; the gentle lure of an acoustic introduction slams breakneck into a gold-standard classic metal riff accompanied by vocalist Jenea Fiore (henceforth to be referred to as “Roberta Halford”) howling like a werewolf taking a nipple twister; the drums crash in a moment later, the kick registering on the Richter scale with city-threatening force.
I didn’t need much more than that to realise that Hangfire understood the assignment; their mission statement, so far as the promo sheet makes clear, was to create a band with a “Classic Sound” – and while they’ve certainly accomplished that, the band’s influences aren’t always as stridently retro as might be assumed; sure, the Saxon-on-speed strains of “Warhawk” speak to an indelible love for the greats of the 80s, but other tracks (the title track for one) wield an arsenal of more contemporary weaponry, with it’s mirthless groove, syncopated palm mutes and tight, technical verse riffs.
The precise attack of main riffing plus supplementary supportive catchy to shredding hooks from Sean Searls makes its presence felt on “Warhawk”, while the calmer transition midway through provides dynamic relief from Jenea’s serene note choices before ramping up the energy level for the thoughtful lead break.
Strong, groove-oriented rhythm section work clearly can offer up other swinging elements – exposing a more soulful, personal delivery vocally to make “White Lie” another early standout. Old Western accents from an acoustic guitar / windblown intro to a jam-like acoustic/electric section two-thirds through take “Outlaw” into rarefied territory, an almost six-minute arrangement that blends together classic power riffs with a passionate main vocal delivery that saunters in and around more slamming earworm transitions.
Beyond the stunning diversity present on the musical end of things (the ballad “Falling Awake” another mesmerizing number that has some killer multi-part harmonies next to the acoustic/electric shifts), the obvious star quality in the voice of Jenea Fiore will take this group beyond state lines into global recognition. Her control, scooping of notes, personal inflections, and proper knowledge of what makes a traditional heavy metal vocalist stand out will keep listeners attentive from the lower register verses to subsequent screams on “Hunger”, all the way through her theatrical higher register work on closer “Fire In the Night”.
Doro Pesch, Pat Benatar, Ann Wilson aspects all show up, but there’s just this next level charm that’s going to keep Hangfire interesting to watch through subsequent recordings.
There is excellent chrome-plated classic metal here with enough modern-day affectations to effortlessly roundhouse kick any accusations of throwback redundancy out the window.
Metal in 2025 is in a supremely healthy place, with each and every subsection of it firing out a litany of magnificent releases.
On the strength of “Burn” it’s good to be able to promulgate the ascension of yet more mighty defenders of the faith.
Highly Recommended
01 – Hunger
02 – Thunder
03 – Warhawk
04 – White Lie
05 – Headspin
06 – Falling Awake
07 – SOS
08 – Outlaw
09 – The Hunter
10 – Burn
11 – The Cold
12 – Fire in the Night
JENEA FIORE: Vocals
SEAN SEARLS: Guitar
STEVEN TOLBECK: Bass
SHANNON ‘THE CANNON’ LAIRD: Drums
Pre order:
www.rottweilerrecords.com/
