On Fire

FIRELAND had the unenviable task of opening for Dragonforce on a few dates on the current tour.

While it’s never easy opening for a band which has a growing and almost cult following, the Belfast act rose to the challenge.

Within three songs they’d won over a large proportion of the crowd, and continued to become more comfortable on stage.

Suffice to say that those who managed to arrive half-way through the set had fists pumping and horns in the air.

Servants of the Dark and I Am Invisible were stand outs, benefiting more in the live environment.

The bands stagecraft is at times a little rigid – there needs to be more than the singer engaging the crowd – but riffs and strong solos are holding things together for now.

At times there sound strayed a little too close to metal cliché, but that can be ironed out through more road work and perhaps some refinements to the arrangements.

Overall Fireland are proving to be potential contenders on the more traditional metal scene.