BITCHFIRE - review added 31st July 2009
Album Review: Bitchfire (Self titled) (2009)
For fans of: Metal... and ladies with powerful voices
Bitchfire come from Fort Lauderdale and, as you can see from their CD cover, they're a bunch of right lairy so and so's. Formed towards the end of 2006, the band is Sharyn Peach on vocals, Donny Sutton-Brown on guitar, Eddie D. on drums and Robbie Plast on bass.
According to the press blurb they've built a substantial fan base in the South Florida area and it's easy to see why. Bitchfire play a meaty hard rocking music with more oomph than a 3lb steak fired from a bazooka. The sound is Lita Ford and Doro Pesch Vs. Saxon and Motorhead. The drums pound and the guitars thrust like a well-endowed bison.
The real star however is Sharyn. Her voice strains at the leash from start to stop. She sounds like the crazy hybridisation of an early 80's punk singer, an evil dungeon and the booster from an Apollo rocket. The strength of her larynx and lungs is phenomenal. In a similar way to Jenn Cherene from UK band Remedy, Sharyn sounds like an empowered version of Tina Egan from If Only. Think Cassandra (Tia Carrere) from Wayne's World connected to a nuclear power station and you'll be in the right ballpark.
'Headlines' is especially reminiscent of the Wayne's World performance; there's some fine wailing at the start and the tone is monstrously party-orientated. The guitars and drums sound so heavy they'll put goose bumps on the soles of your feet. The song isn't that memorable in the long term, but for an instant hit it's the mutt's nuts. 'Fly High' heads in the direction of Manowar with it's mighty rhythms. It's like listening to jungle drums in a resonance chamber. Again it's a heavy quick-hit of a track with limited long-term appeal, but you know it'll be an absolute blast live.
'Pleasure Is Pain' is another deafeningly heavy track with the sort of bass line you could use to lay roads. The chorus section is more contagious than the first couple of tracks and, overall, it's like a Doro track with (arguably) better vocals. The title track is more rude than a puffy nipple with tourettes. It's a f*cking groovy track that'll either make you smile or cringe. We love it, although we'd probably stay clear of Sharyn if she was in this mood in real life...
'Vampire' has more than a passing resemblance to a metal version of early 80's mad minx Toyah Wilcox. It's a good-ish song, but a touch retro and lacking in hooks. The remaining tracks lose their way in comparison to the early entries and are too close to rock-by-numbers to be exciting.
Game of two halves here then. The first is mostly magnificent with heavy grooves, earth-cracking drums and spine-shredding singing. The songs don't have a lot of permanence, but for an occasional hit of sheer volume and passion they are up there with the best this year. The second half is a let down after the first. It's a touch predictable and doesn't have the fire the earlier part does. I really, really want to hear more from this band. They've got biblical potential. They just need to channel it with more accuracy and make more songs like tracks 3 and 4.
Check out... The title track. How rude :)
Track List:
1. Headlines
2. Fly High
3. Pleasure Is Pain
4. Bitchfire
5. Found Me Again
6. Toxic Waste
7. Vampire
8. Breathe
9. Selfish Heart
10. Run to You
Artist's website(s): MySpace
