Don't be afraid; they're from Sweden, but they sing in English. Yes, this is the band that we named the web site after. So, naturally they're one of our favorite bands. What makes them so special? EVERYTHING! The lyrics, the music, the energy, the artwork, and everything they stand for.
The most impressive element is how the music and lyrics fit together like Siamese twins. They always find a way into your memories of relationships gone wrong and the feelings of those lonely moments. These brilliant moments occur on nearly every song, and they capture a different feeling each time, “All those memories will be my death.”
This is Fireside at their heaviest and a good place to start for listeners who've never checked out the band before
I guess I never reviewed this album back in the day, and Chad's review was suspiciously light on details, so I'll add my thoughts now (June, 2020).
Out of all of Fireside's albums, I think this one holds up the best. From the opening riff of ‘Monsoon’ with Kristofer belting out, “You fell asleep just to make me feel bad!”, Uomini D'onore crackles with the kind of post-hardcore energy that was common in the late 90's and early 2000's, but sorely lacking in the decades since. Follow-up ‘Let Rasputin Do It’ is a great demonstration of the band's evolution as songwriters. It's got a great rhythm to it, and the chorus still gets stuck in my head 20+ years later.
And the hits just keep coming. That riff and interplay between the guitar and bass on ‘Bistro’ is just as impressive today as it was in 1997. ‘Happy Porno Living’ seems more relevant than ever in the year of COVID-19 lockdowns. And ‘Sweatbead’ rounds out a certifiable Power Five, with one of the band's best choruses ever. For as much as we joke about Kristofer Åström's often inscrutable lyrics, the man excels at delivering words of simple beauty and sincerity. If your eyes don't water a bit when he sings, “And what if I can't live without you? I'm not that good looking or bright, but you know I'd treat you right,” then you might want to check your tear ducts.
While the first half of the album is my favorite, the second half doesn't really let up that much. ‘Ambulance’ and ‘Anywhere is a Resort’ are both real belters, and songs like ‘Dos’ and ‘Alien Bzzing’ hint at the progression to come on their amazing follow-up album, Elite. The only song that doesn't do much for me on this one is ‘Oh, I’m So Alone', which might have been better left as a song on one of Kristofer's solo albums. But that's ok. The album ends just fine with ‘Layer’, after 38 minutes of damn impressive rock.
If you've never heard Fireside, and if you ever had a place in your heart for bands like Quicksand or Helmet, this is where you should start.
