Fireapple Red,
Fireapple RedFireapple Red are a cosmopolitan bunch. Forming in Brussels in 1997 before relocating to London two years later, the band are made up of a Norwegian with Moroccan descent, a Belgian, an Italian and a Brit. Of course this does them no harm at all and they mix sounds and styles like they're going out of fashion. FR remind me a lot of Redlightsflash, and that's a very good thing - they'res a metallic edge to their Pennywise-esque skate punk, all washed down with a socio-political edge. If Phinius Gage added a metallic spike to their songs, they'd probably sound like FR.
Anyway, enough of the lazy comparisons. This self-titled record is astonishingly their debut album. Why it's taken 6 years to see the light of day is a mystery, but this Mark Williams-inspired 10-tracker was well worth the wait. The press release describes Fireapple Red as "one of the heaviest and most ambitious of any of the UK punk releases this year" and it's a fair description. I read hundreds of press releases a day and 99% of them are so far-fetched it's untrue, but these comments are brutally frank - and bang on. Take away Propagandhi's sneer and wit, throw in that metal horn and there is certainly something that sounds a lot like these Red boys.
Over the space of 30 minutes the record takes you on a rollercoaster ride. There's little let up as tracks like 'Born As Innocent' and 'All Because' impress. The latter is especially good; the chorus dripping in melody alongside some awesome drumming. But it's not just sonically that the band impress, lyrically they show they're a dab hand at getting their message across. Tracks touch on corruption, chemical warfare, greed... it's all touched upon. Thankfully Fireapple Red aren't a band that push their views on you either, there's a definite sense of 'this is what we think' which doesn't infringe on your own human rights. 'Complacency' and 'Know Your Reasons' are in-yer-face rockets of melodic hardcore, while 'Appointing Sympathy' has an opening guitar riff which sounds like it could have come from a NOFX song. The solo is inspired, while the vocals seemingly shoot out from everywhere. Glorious.
Fireapple Red are a refreshing change from that emo-explosion which is rapidly becoming dull. It's a record with something to say and an album with balls, all from a band who seem like they could have the world at their feet. All in all, I'd say it's worth spending a few pounds to get your hands on a copy...
Paul
