This is an album I didn't have to put on my playlist before reviewing. I've read a few reviews of Thunderstorm, which were either extremely negative or extremely positive. Allow me to stand in the middle :).
Let's start with the good stuff. It is obvious that the Iron Fire band members have talent as, musically, this is overall a pretty well executed album. It is interesting to note that the band members are under 20, so I think this is definitely a band to keep an eye on in the future. The album has a couple of catchy songs, and is alright to listen to occasionally.
The vocals are adequate, I think as the singer gets more experienced, the material will benefit. Sometimes it seems like he's having a hard time reaching the high notes, as well as the lower ones. The main problem I have with this album is that it is power metal with innovation. There are a number of clichés throughout the album and they are way too obvious to be ignored. There are so many power metal bands out there that they have to come up with something unique, otherwise they'll just be "yet another power metal band". The subjects have been over utilized in the past couple of years, and while there's nothing wrong with using them in a new album, a fresher perspective would be more than welcome. They seem to know their instruments, now if they can improve on the songwriting I most certainly think that their second album will be a definite must-buy. For now, I'd say this is not an essential album to own, but you won't regret buying it if you do as it is a pretty good album. Just don't expect anything groundbreaking.
