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Where The Monsters Dwell

    
       
       
       
     
             
Saffire are a hard rock band from Sweden formed in 2005, releasing a demo in 2007, dogged by line up changes over their early years, finally releasing their first full length album 'From Ashes To Fire', in 2013. The band have played at festivals across Europe, alongside bands such as Slayer, Steel Panther and Sabaton. 2015 saw the release of 'For The Greater Good', and more festival appearances during 2016. The bands third album, 'Where The Monsters Dwell' was released in 2018.    
             
Sweden, a hot bed for producing melodic hard rock bands, now has Saffire cementing their place in Swedish rock history with the release of their third album. Eleven songs across fifty minutes of hard rock and AOR territory, Saffire open the album with the galloping 'Wolf Among The Sheep'. Immediately infectious, 'Wolf Among The Sheep' is a catchy and foot tappingly addictive opener, guaranteed to plant a huge smile across the faces of fans everywhere. 'Hard To Keep, Hard To Find' moves the album towards a harder hitting vibe, a thunderous mid tempo rhythm to keep those feet stomping hard. A powerful clean and clear vocal delivery compliments the pulsating music as the album strides on with the majestic and anthemic 'Valley Of The Damned'. A heavy rhythm belies the songs AOR influence, a head noddingly addictive groove keeping the smile on the faces of fans. A blues come Southern Rock influence shows its mettle as 'Broken Crown' rolls in and ambles along the boundary of the soft rock genre. After just four songs, Saffire have journeyed through a myriad of genres, leaving me a little confused as to their chosen musical direction.    
             
The title song 'Where The Monsters Dwell' picks up tempo and oozes energy as it thunders along. The hardest rocking song on the album so far, 'Where The Monsters Dwell' is a melodic hard rock gem. 'How Cold Is Your Blood' is full of menace and mood as it foot stomps along at a ballad like pace. Too heavy to be pigeon holed as a ballad, 'How Cold Is Your Blood' is full of hard hitting swagger. Injecting pace and stepping up a gear, 'Road To Paradise' romps along at speed, turning in a cracking heavy rock performance. Harnessing a huge amount of energy, Saffire plant two feet firmly and squarely in the power metal genre, allowing fans an opportunity to bang their heads rather than just nod them.    
             
'Perfectly Worthless' returns the album to its former mid tempo foot stomping vibe, easily identifiable as European style hard rock. Big riffs, huge melodies, clean and clear vocals and a sing a long style chorus, 'Perfectly Worthless' could be regarded as the Saffire signature sound. A heavy blues vibe accompanies the majestic 'Dark Horizon' as it swaggers on. Another heavy hitting mid tempo romp, Saffire are becoming identifiable as an AOR/melodic hard rock outfit. Mellowness and keyboards lead the way as 'Fortress' glides in, a more soulful vocal delivery than anything else heard on the album, it's now time to raise your lighters high and sway from side to side. With only the one ballad on offer across the albums eleven songs, 'The Rainmaker' brings the curtain down on the bands third offering as it began, hitting hard and delivering an infectious feel good vibe, leaving the listener with a huge smile plastered right across their face.    
             
Overall, mid tempo and hard hitting melodic hard rock, Saffire succeed in keeping the Swedish legacy of producing great rock bands alive and well.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
Other Reviews    
             

           
           
Taming The Hurricane      
           
"a hard rocking and bombastic barrage of infectious hard rock that grabs your attention and never lets go" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             

           
           
Starhunter E.P.      
           
"a hard hitting and punchy three song assault of infectious and catchy hard rock, Saffire are literally, on fire" Read Review      
     
     
     
           
             
             
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