WHAT THEY SAY:
FIREMASS, a horror rock band based in the New England area, has risen from the depths of darkness to bring you ghoulish lyrics, haunting melodies, and a theme of horror.
Mixing heavy rock with elements of goth, metal, and punk, Firemass sounds like the dead have risen from their graves to haunt you with their eerie songs of pagan rituals, bloodlust, and murder most foul.
THE THRESHOLD:
Firemass has some nice ideas and a nice theory about how they want to sound. “Cell 13” is a fairly decent song. Yet they come off as being more punk than anything else. Take away the spooky exterior and you would never know the difference. Think Danzig; the songs are simplistic but it’s all about the mood.
Looking at the current scene across the board, there’s nothing like Firemass. That’s because this was done to death in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Bands have moved on to incorporating elements beyond the simplistic: symphonic synths, crunchy guitars, stompy drums, noisy samples, et cetera. The audience has followed accordingly.
So while there’s promise for Firemass, having a spooky image alone isn’t going to sell punk rock to spooky audience. Make the music more complex and interesting. Move beyond three chords. Firemass isn’t a dead end, but it definitely needs a swift kick in the ass.
Link: Firemass on MySpace
