Release date: 19th September 2025
Dying Victims Productions never stops surprising! This time they unleash “For Centuries Alive”, the second album from Germany’s latest Metal force Firmament.
Hailing from Leipzig and formed back in from 2021, Firmament has been meticulously crafting a sound that draws inspiration from the vast expanse of the night sky, incorporating a myriad of Rock music influences spanning eras from Proto-Metal to NWOBHM. Their 2023 debut, “We Don’t Rise We Just Fall” released was the same label to receive critical acclaim, where they boldly showcased their authentically homemade sound of attack, heaviness and imaginative prowess. They assuredly possess a fantastic ability to distill the signature trademarks into a sound that resonates not just in the ear but deeply within the heart which is something that classic metallers always craves for.
Review
Since their formation Firmament lineup of drums, bass, twin guitars, and vocals has been commanding stages; delivering their epic, dark, yet captivating Heavy Rock sound that can possess ears and minds. While their foundation was powerfully laid by their debut album and the subsequent split “Gathered Under Open Skies” with the heavy speedy punkish force Midnight Prey. This showed that their activity remained in swing and processing till the next work. Now, in this second album they explore fresh sonic and lyrical realms, all in fervent celebration of the untouchable trio of Wishbone Ash, Blue Öyster Cult, Thin Lizzy and many obscure or relatively unknowns’ legends playing this fascinating genre.
It’s surely for delving into deeper, to elevates their Heavy Rock into its own rarefied category. With the lineup of Stefan Deutsch on Bass, Jonas Zeidler on Drums, Tom Michalik on Guitars, Philipp Meyer on Guitars and Marco Herrmann conducting Vocals, these feisty heavy Germans are hell bent more with their weapons even more proudly on their sleeves. With that intent, in this record they unfurl eight propulsive tracks with plus a setting intro that is calling for an engaging and exhilarating ride to the extreme to impasse. Just look at the album cover artwork; it’s an invitation itself.
And, then the record kicking off with a moody to flying intro ‘Solarion’s Wake‘; it’s immediately plunging the listener into a world where enchanting melody and heaviness reigns supreme and meant to live for centuries. Then rolling into the record with upcoming, ‘Pulsar‘, ‘A Legend of the Fall‘ to ‘Swear by the Moon‘, this album quickly asserts itself establishing the bands skills in crafting epic, dark, heavy yet inherently melodic soundscapes and suggesting a journey rather than just a collection of songs.
‘Pulsar‘ should lure anyone for many repeats, just to hear again and again those Iron Maiden style galloping and highly catchy hair raising melodies! And, one can’t stop wondering that, no matter how many times you listen to these classic galloping style from Maiden to many legends of the era, it’s never feels boring to listen despite getting played and played and repeated to some extent mutated, for so long ! Nevertheless, such is the power, that these hooking progressions and the burst out melodies from those, somehow always provokes, stir and raise heart beats and hairs each & every moments.
With progressing deep into the record and getting awestruck by the incoming ‘An Anthem for the Spotless Mind‘, ‘Brother of Sleep‘, ‘Starbeast‘, ‘Into the Realm of Distant Wonders‘ till the album closer ‘The Empress and the Foundling‘; one can anticipate and gets surprised-to-floored in many spots with Tom and Philipp’s soaring guitar melodies reminiscent of never dying NWOBHM movements and killing edges of Thin Lizzy to Tokyo Blade, and the magical progressive touches from Atomic Rooster to King Crimson to Emerson, Lake & Palmer towards Blue Öyster Cult.
The guitarists duo’s intricate, dual-guitar harmony work deserves many claps and fists in the air, that made not only Iron Maiden memorable also turns Wishbone Ash to legends. Just listen to ‘Starbeast‘, you are bound to do many repeats, with each time wondering what just happened and what’s your ear experienced! With, Marco Herrmann inescapable commanding vocal will lead minds to known and unknown territories with the poetic lyrics, that are set to story tell and make wonder.
The production is warm and impulsive, which bodes well for such sounds aiming timelessness over sterile monotonous modernity. This kind of production superbly allowed the instruments to breathe, giving the twin guitars ample space to weave their magic. Also, let the bass to lay down a strong, melodic flow, and the drums to provide a powerful yet crafty backbone to send head and mind on relentless sways and rolls. Again, the vocal mixing should get loads praises, as these Germans likes to focus on storytelling and emotional depth rather than mere aggression, and the final production aptly nodded that with giving it a rich, immersive and memorable listening experience.
The evolution from their debut is also highlighted, with the new material feeling more possessive and captivating. This suggests a band comfortable in their skin, confidently exploring new sonic and lyrical realms without abandoning the core elements that garnered them critical acclaim. They simply aren’t chasing trends; they are distilling the essence of what makes classic Heavy and Rock truly enduring and always enthralling to follow it’s evolving.
Conclusion
Again, the visual allurement of “For Centuries Alive” first provided by the fascinating cover art by Ryan T. Hancock and from there with all nine fantastic compositions it’s all together an album that doesn’t just pay homage to its influences but actively builds upon them. Expertly forging a sound that is undeniably their own where an exposed one can expect a rich tapestry of Heavy Rock, imbued with epic scope, dark romanticism, and an enticing journey, that will undoubtedly resonate with fans of Classic Rock and Heavy Metal for, well, centuries alive.
TheNwothm Score: 10/10
Bandcamp:https://dyingvictimsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/for-centuries-alive
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/FirmamentRock/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/firmament_band/
Label:Dying Victims Productions https://dying-victims.de/
