Wildfire – Rise

Wildfire
Rise
Out: March 7^th, 2025
Playing time: 44:01

Here comes another Heavy Metal band from Greece. Wildfire was founded in the capital Athens in 2019. The seasoned musicians have plenty of stage experience. Their self-titled debut EP was released in 2021. In August 2022, they headlined the third rock festival in Lamia (capital of the Central Greece region). Songwriting for the debut album began in 2024 and the result has been available to listen to since March.

‘Leap Of Faith’ is the intro to the album. Keyboard sounds, mostly melodic, with a few gimmicks. The drums are added later, with a bang at the end. Perhaps unnecessary for an album, but quite acceptable as an introduction to a concert. The actual opener is the title track ‘Rise’. And it really gets going straight away. Melodic Power Metal. The guitarists make their presence felt right from the start, whether it’s riffs or melodic arcs. The keyboards can be heard permanently in the background. A little too intrusive now and again. During the refrain, the singer is supported by the choir of his bandmates. There is also a very good guitar solo. ‘Nights’ then tends a little towards Glam Rock. And here, too, there is a strong guitar solo. The sea roars, wooden beams creak, thunder rumbles. In ‘Navigators’ we are obviously on a sailing ship. Banging riffs form the contrast to the keys. A catchy vocal melody is underpinned by rhythmic drums. And the double bass also provides a hard edge. And instead of a guitar, a clarinet provides the necessary solo. Thanks to this interesting splash of colour, this is one of the highlights. ‘Inside The Box’ is another dynamic Power Metal song. And another highlight. For my taste, however, the keyboards push themselves a little too much into the foreground. ‘Breaking Point’ is dominated by classical Metal riffs, which initially provide a little more heaviness, and later by beautiful guitar melodies. A beautiful ballad follows with ‘Mirror’s Edge’. The grandiose guitar melodies and later the piano provide a lot of emotion. But the guitars and drums still create a certain underlying heaviness. Drums and bass introduce ‘Far And Beyond (In Hell)’. The riffs set the rhythm. And again you can hear exuberant keyboards. ‘Night With A Witch’ was also featured on the self-titled debut EP and was re-recorded as a single (2023) and for the album. A riff-driven song that forms the perfect ending for the album.

‘Rise’ is a successful debut album. Wildfire find the (almost) perfect balance between beautiful melodic arcs and Power Metal heaviness. Very good guitar solos can be heard again and again. But the ever-present and sometimes intrusive keyboards make an even better rating impossible.

Wildfire – Inside The Box: https://youtu.be/BdjuLxuqsgI?si=r8f0zvqlQD5taLJt

Lineup:

Bill Chrepas – Vocals
Tolis G Pol – Guitar
Dimitris Varsamis – Guitar
Marios Theofilatos – Keys
Dimitris Megalios – Bass, Backing Vocals
Andronikos Maltezos – Drums, Backing Vocals

Track list:

• Leap of Faith
• Rise
• Nights
• Navigators
• Inside The Box
• Breaking Point
• Mirror’s Edge
• Far And Beyond (In Hell)
• Night With A Witch (bonus track, reissue)