FER DE LANCE is a Heavy Metal/Doom Metal band from good old Chicago, Illinois. ''Fires on the Mountainside'' is already their third release in a very relatively short career. I thought when I first read the name of the band it was something local or something from France so this was a pleasant surprise that it was actually band from Chicago... You don't see many bands starting their album with a title track that logs in at almost 13 minutes! A scorcher of an opener, with broad horizons ranging from Epic Heavy Metal, old school Doom and even some Folk Metal elements right in the middle of the song. The start of the songs reminded me of the opening sequences of many IRON MAIDEN songs and that makes me really wanna smile honestly. I like long songs with some interesting intros and anything that reminds me of IRON MAIDEN off the cuff is a big positive.

Most of the song feels like a sea chanty, akin to a bit of TURISAS, RUNNING WILD yet with much more substance than you may think. Think VISIONS OF ATLANTIS stripped to their bare essentials and with some Doom Metal elements and that's only one part of the appeal of FER DE LANCE. MP Papai brings forth a dynamic booming voice and at times very reminiscent of Tim ''The Ripper'' Owens and that's one of the very best Heavy Metal singers of all time. No one song is the same, you have a Mid-Tempo song like ''Fire & Gold'' (thankfully not going full on Ballad but has some of the more emotional moments of the opus) and influences of Middle Eastern music elements on both ''Death Thrives (Dreams of Daidalos'' as well as the album closer, ''Tempest Stele''. As for the fans of the Doom Metal element of the band, you will be completely conquered by ''The Feast of Echoes'' , something very similar to a band like early CANDLEMASS.

My favorite song is ''Children of the Sky and Sea'', an Epic 7 minute song, an anthemic chorus and ambiance. It feels a bit 80's in it's composition, reminded me of the very few MANOWAR songs I enjoy (mostly covered by other bands by the way). It feels grandiose, a bit cinematic and it's the most intense song from ''Fires on the Mountainside''. It also has a bit of the heaviness displayed in some of the WHITESNAKE catalogue (the Steve Vai era per se). I mean the opening track is a banger but this song resonated a bit more in my case. The solos along with the keyboard work is majestic, I use the word lightly but it's way more than this. The sophomore jinx has not hit them at the slightest and they deliver something different, something quite unique for a genre that has been stagnant for years on end.