The Safety Fire are odd. I
like odd, so yes, I do have an appreciation for what these guys do. I have absolutely
no idea what their lyrics mean, but I love bands that sing in other languages so being incoherent isn't a deal breaker.
TSF knows who they are and after a solid debut, "Grind
the Ocean," the band came back quickly with "Mouth Of Swords." I'll admit that "Grind
the Ocean" showed potential, but I wasn't sure if the band would commit to progressive metal or become a metalcore band.
Singer Sean McWeeney wasn't exactly stellar on that first album but for this one, he sounds great. The band fights themselves constantly, going from quiet moments to loud, in-your-face metal. They are quite good at both, you just don't always see it coming. "I
Am Time, the Destroyer" is a perfect example: quiet verse and a full-on "kick in the nuts" chorus. "The Red Hatchet" was the first song released and it was the reason I was quite excited to hear the album:
a catchy yet obtuse song, much like the band. "Wise Hands" shows the band has a lot of depth and can write a very melodic song. Tommy Giles Rogers from Between
the Buried and Me guests on the song "Beware the Leopard (Jagwar)," which of course makes the song sound more like a BTBAM song.
This does expose the weakness TSF has:
they're still finding their way. The band have made major improvements from their debut, but there are still things on "Mouth Of Swords" that don't stand out. "Glass Crush" and even "Yellowism" are more standard fare than unique. My hope for TSF is that they get quirkier and embrace their oddness more than ever, but don't lose their ability to write a good tune. Maybe the next album needs an epic? Just a thought, guys.
