For a band that has only been in existence only a few years, FIRSTBORN has a touch of magic. What catches my senses is the music has a hard edge yet the vocal power of Marcus Carlzon has the heavenly aura to his voice that makes FIRSTBORN a force to be reckoned with.

On “For Our Souls” I hear sounds of the classic era of YES but killer down-tuning of bands such as ALTER BRIDGE.  For the past few years Sweden has been the mecca for new music and with FIRSTBORN coming out of Gothenburg they shun the typical sleaze style that is a prominent staple there.

“Value Your Life” adds some acoustic work to the tune and with those hidden piano sounds gives the song great depth. FIRSTBORN bring the full package to the masses with their style which I really love. It’s like having the best of both worlds with hearing rock and metal packaged with an orchestra. Bravo!

Max Pontén’s bass lines are brought to the forefront on “Old Machinery” and opens to an array of talented musicians. Marcus Carlzon vocals are just phenomenal and just listening to the midsection of drummer Aron Bergström and Pontén makes the song flow so well.

 “Multiple Identify” is another track that flows well and I love the directional change from a pounding heart to a mild melody. All in all I love the disc. Would have liked to hear guitarist Joachim Ragnarsson let loose on some solos but that was not in the cards.

This is an excellent start to a possibly bright future for FIRSTBORN.