FLAMES OF FIRE - Our Blessed Hope (December 1, 2023)

NEW UPCOMING ALBUM RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT!

New release from: FLAMES OF FIRE – Our Blessed Hope (December 1, 2023)

Flames of Fire debut got very good feedback for their classic hard rock and now they are back with 2nd album Our Blessed Hope. Christian Liljegren and Mats Åke Andersson states that they love artists and bands like Dio, Iron Maiden, Stryper, Rainbow, Sweet, Queen, Petra, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Kayak, Kansas, Uriah Heep and Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force to name a few and of course, you hear these influences on this album.

Christian Liljegren here, vocalist and one of the founders of Flames of Fire also vocalist for Narnia one of the leading Christian Metal bands today says:

“We live in a strange world with lots of turbulence right now and it is hard for us to navigate. I am just honest no one has ever blown my heart away like Jesus Christ since 1985. I will never hide it as you hear my strong Christian belief in all my lyrics and bands I have represented since late 1980s. Jesus Christ is a person who has been controversial since he walked on earth 2000 years ago and still is. Some believe He is God and some don’t and Flames of Fire shares hope for the world with a heavenly dimension.”

Flames of Fire was formed in the spring of 2021, but the story goes back to 1987.
In their hometown, Jönköping, Christian Liljegren and Mats-Åke Andersson met for the first time outside a burger chain called O’Briens. Christian was then 16 years old and fronted the band Venture and Mats-Åke was 21, guitarist and composer in legendary local band called Zaragon.

Zaragon was active between 1984-1988 style-wise strongly influenced by Rainbow, MSG, Iron Maiden and early Europe. They were close to a record deal but bad decisions and bad management made nothing happen. Zaragon did some fine
recordings with Ragne and Styrbjörn Wahlqvist from Heavy Load.

That meeting in 1987 had a great impact on both. It was the passion, fire and energy for the music, that really connected these hard rock & heavy metal lovers. Both watched the concerts in 1986-1987 with Europe and Madison – two bands they both loved, as well as Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Michael Schenker, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Iron Maiden and Alcatrazz.

The meeting developed into a friendship that lasts until this day, even though the years went by and a lot happened along the way.

The debut album sounded great and now for the second studio Our Blessed Hope album, Jani has an important role as producer and graphic designer and have worked out the whole production for Our Blessed Hope together closely with Christian Liljegren who has recorded all his vocals both lead and backing vocals in Melodic Passion studios in Eskilstuna Sweden. The sound is heavier and more diverse sound and a great step and development from the debut. Very organic classic hard rock and heavy metal sound.

Of course, we got the amazing twin guitar sound between Jani Stefanovic and guitarist Stephen Carlson, who worked closely with Christian on his solo album Melodic Passion, as Stephen also is a good co-writer. The bass is fantastic on this new album by Per Schelander in the style of Phil Lynnot and Steve Harris. He is also involved in House of Shakira, Astrakhan, ex-Royal Hunt, and Pain of Salvation, and Per has worked with Christian on the Melodic Passion album as well, so now they have a killer team and this album takes it to the next level on top of that Alfred Fridhagen on drums who has done work with Christian Liljegren and Jani Stefanovic in The Waymaker and Golden Resurrection.

Description of release:

Classic hard rock and heavy metal in the finest way where all people involved have long experience on the music scene in bands such as Narnia, Pain of Salvation, Divinefire, House of Shakira, The Waymaker, Brotthog to name a few and it will appear to fans of Dio, Stryper, Iron Maiden, Europe, Narnia, Rainbow, MSG, Saxon and the list goes on.

Christian and Mats-Åke have tried to capture the spark they felt when they experienced hard rock and heavy metal for the first time in the 1970s and 1980s. You can really hear that fire in Christian’s voice and in the music in a way that is not common today. Flames of Fire’s 1st single, “This Is The One” is set for release on November 3, 2023. The song is a song with great variation and a great sing-along chorus in the vein of classic heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden, Stryper, and Crimson Glory, which used a lot of twin guitars. Soaring vocal styles like Ronnie James Dio, Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford that Christian like a lot, but of course with his own flavour added to the
songs.