Even with a lot of new members, Fire Up The Blades remains true to the band's sound. It's modern metal that pays homage to the classic artists like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. The songs have a thrashy vibe and are a little heavier than the last album. You'll hear plenty of giant riffs and extended guitar solos, but 3 Inches Of Blood manages to give a wink and a nod to their elders without being cheesy about it.
The vocals take a little adjusting to. Cam Pipes does the clean vocals, and his voice is really high pitched. Jamie Hooper does the harsher, more death metal style vocals, but his are pretty high pitched as well. It's a nice combination, and once you get used to their style it really starts to grow on you.
Slipknot's Joey Jordison produced the album. He was filling in on drums for Satyricon a couple years ago when they toured with 3 Inches Of Blood, really liked them, and offered to produce. He did a rock solid job harnessing the band's powerful live chops, focusing and polishing it. 3 Inches Of Blood was recently praised by legendary Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford, and the band will be playing on the high profile Ozzfest this summer, and they have some serious momentum going.
