Formed out of the ashes of doom act Galvano, Firebreather launch themselves onto the metal scene here in 2018 with their self-titled debut on Suicide Records. Containing just four tracks and clocking in at a tad over 30-minutes, Firebreather packs quite a punch, the riffs monstrous and the arrangements swelling with plenty of doom laden sludge. The Swedish trio are comprised of
guitarist/vocalist Mattias Nööjd , bassist Kyle Pitcher and drummer Fredrik Käll, though
Tommy Hanning actually plays on the album. "Fire Foretold" kicks things off in fine fashion,
Nööjd's throaty bellow charging through pounding rhythms and waves of fuzz toned guitar riffs. "Emerald Eyes" is more of a slow, sludgy affair, the guitars no less soaked in fuzz but plenty of feedback and roaring vocals, while "The Ice Lord" picks up the pace with some piledriving passages that sound like a bizarre meeting of early Mastodon and Amon Amarth. Of course the band saves the lengthy epic for last in the form of "Release the Lava", a near 12-minute funeral dirge that lives up to its name, the riffs cascading like molten, hot , and slow rolling lava, the drums tribal, the bass bulbous, and Nööjd's Viking styled croaks trying to find some space through the haze of the doom storm.
Overall, Firebreather have put together a fine debut here, signaling the arrival of another player from the doom/sludge underground.
Track Listing
1. Fire Foretold 07:09
2. Emerald Eyes 07:42
3. The Ice Lord 06:13
4. Release The Lava 11:34