Firebird – No. 3 – Review

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No. 3 (Steamhammer/SPV)
by Martin Popoff

Bill Steer of Carcass fame has a new drummer and new bass player for this third swing at the ’70s rock cool cat. Weird, but I’ve played this more than any other record in the last month or so, and I’m torn between it being the perfect retro rock record and the nagging concern that it’s too perfect, or too sincere, or something. Steer sings positively beautifully on it (so much so that it sorta begins to bug you), and the songs are so varied and laid-back that you really can’t call this stoner rock. It barely deserves any sort of tag, except maybe powerful Southern rock or old English blues rock, which are sorta the same thing. Light, airy, clean, very lively… No. 3 can be surmised by a good stare at the cover art: A simplified line drawing of Bill in bare feet looking very deep in thought as he plucks out some chords in tribute to the gods.
(www.spvusa.com)