The Premonition (album)
Encyclopedia
The Premonition is the fifth full-length album by Firewind
and their only album to feature the same line-up as its predecessor. Gus G.
said "we basically kept the Allegiance
'winning team' together" much to the apparent surprise of fans.
The complete album leaked on the internet on 18 February 2008.
during which time they wrote 6 titled songs (Remembered, Life Foreclosed, The Silent Code, Mercenary Man, My Loneliness, Head Up High) Gus G.
said "Song writing-wise I think all songs are special and once again everyone was involved in the writing" while in the studio they recorded a total of 12 original songs and "a few covers" including their cover of the Michael Sembello
song "Maniac
". Gus G.
also said:
on their "Rule the World Tour" in April through Europe and then in May on their "Tyranny and Bloodshred" tour through North America
with Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquillity
, and Divine Heresy
.
, although it was first announced for release there. Instead, it was initially released in Italy
and Benelux
(Belgium
, the Netherlands
, and Luxembourg
) on March 21, 2008. Then the following day in Germany
, Austria
, and Switzerland
. On March 24, 2008, it was released in Greece, Denmark
, Norway
, and to a large portion of the rest of Europe
. In Spain
and Portugal
, it was released on March 25, 2008, and the following day in Sweden
, Finland
, and Hungary
. It was released four days later in France
, and was released in the United Kingdom
on April 7, 2008. It was re-released on vinyl March 3 2010, making this their first vinyl release, and including the Japan bonus track "Ride to the Rainbows End".
page for streaming
almost two months before the album's release on February 2, 2008, and one month before the album's release as a maxi-CD exclusively to Greece
on February 25, 2008. In-between the two release dates, the band filmed the music video for the song in Sweden
with Patric Ullaeus
as the producer. "Mercenary Man" entered the Greek Top 50 Singles chart at #6 and is peaked at #5. Meanwhile, the two singles from their previous album, Allegiance, were still charting in Greece. "Falling to Pieces", which peaked at #11, is was still in at #43, and "Breaking the Silence", which peaked at #16, was still in at #33.
, was cut at the final stages of the release because of copyright reasons. The song had a few live performances by Firewind including at the Gagarin Open Air festival in Athens 2007. It was also on 12 January 2008 during the filming of Live Premonition
but it was also cut from the DVD.
Guest musicians
Technical staff
Firewind
Firewind is a Greek power metal band. Formed in 1998, the group is currently signed to Century Media Records and was originally a small project created by guitarist, Gus G. to showcase his demo, Nocturnal Symphony in 1998. Firewind later became a full band over three years later when they recorded...
and their only album to feature the same line-up as its predecessor. Gus G.
Gus G.
Kostas Karamitroudis aka Gus G., born September 12, 1980 in Thessaloniki, Greece is a heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind and Ozzy Osbourne...
said "we basically kept the Allegiance
Allegiance (album)
-Band members:* Apollo Papathanasio – vocals* Gus G. – guitars* Babis Katsionis – keyboards* Petros Christodoylidis – bass* Mark Cross – drums, backing vocals on "Allegiance"-Guest musicians:* Tara Teresa – vocals on "Breaking the Silence"...
'winning team' together" much to the apparent surprise of fans.
The complete album leaked on the internet on 18 February 2008.
Creation process
The song writing began in part while in tour supporting the bands previous album AllegianceAllegiance (album)
-Band members:* Apollo Papathanasio – vocals* Gus G. – guitars* Babis Katsionis – keyboards* Petros Christodoylidis – bass* Mark Cross – drums, backing vocals on "Allegiance"-Guest musicians:* Tara Teresa – vocals on "Breaking the Silence"...
during which time they wrote 6 titled songs (Remembered, Life Foreclosed, The Silent Code, Mercenary Man, My Loneliness, Head Up High) Gus G.
Gus G.
Kostas Karamitroudis aka Gus G., born September 12, 1980 in Thessaloniki, Greece is a heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind and Ozzy Osbourne...
said "Song writing-wise I think all songs are special and once again everyone was involved in the writing" while in the studio they recorded a total of 12 original songs and "a few covers" including their cover of the Michael Sembello
Michael Sembello
Michael Sembello is an American musician and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Career:Sembello was born and raised in Philadelphia. He studied with jazz great Pat Martino and began his career as a professional musician by becoming a session musician, working increasingly with...
song "Maniac
Maniac (song)
"Maniac" is a synthpop song performed by Michael Sembello. The song was used in the 1983 film Flashdance and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac.The film Maniac was about a serial killer who stalks his victims in New York City...
". Gus G.
Gus G.
Kostas Karamitroudis aka Gus G., born September 12, 1980 in Thessaloniki, Greece is a heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind and Ozzy Osbourne...
also said:
Touring and promotion
Firewind started touring after the completion of the album in January, in which time they filmed the content for the bonus DVD. They are scheduled to tour supporting KamelotKamelot
Kamelot is an American symphonic power metal band from Tampa, Florida. The band was formed by Thomas Youngblood and Richard Warner in 1991. Norwegian vocalist Roy Khan joined for the album Siége Perilous, and shared song-writing duties with Youngblood until his departure in April 2011.As of 2010,...
on their "Rule the World Tour" in April through Europe and then in May on their "Tyranny and Bloodshred" tour through North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
with Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquillity
Dark Tranquillity
Dark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. They are one of the longest-standing bands from the original Gothenburg metal scene, and are one of the most integral pioneers of the melodic death metal genre of music....
, and Divine Heresy
Divine Heresy
Divine Heresy is an American metal band formed by founder of Fear Factory, guitarist Dino Cazares and Devolved, drummer John Sankey. Although the band's origins trace back to 2002, Divine Heresy was officially formed in 2006...
.
Release history
Unlike previous releases, The Premonition wasn't first released in the band's homeland, GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, although it was first announced for release there. Instead, it was initially released in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
(Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
) on March 21, 2008. Then the following day in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. On March 24, 2008, it was released in Greece, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and to a large portion of the rest of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, it was released on March 25, 2008, and the following day in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. It was released four days later in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and was released in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on April 7, 2008. It was re-released on vinyl March 3 2010, making this their first vinyl release, and including the Japan bonus track "Ride to the Rainbows End".
Singles
The first single from The Premonition, "Mercenary Man", was released on the band's official MyspaceMyspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page for streaming
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
almost two months before the album's release on February 2, 2008, and one month before the album's release as a maxi-CD exclusively to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
on February 25, 2008. In-between the two release dates, the band filmed the music video for the song in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
with Patric Ullaeus
Patric Ullaeus
Patric Ullaeus is an award winning director, photographer and artist. He is the founder of Revolver Film Company which is based in Sweden.-Videography:2011Patric Ullaeus is an award winning director, photographer and artist...
as the producer. "Mercenary Man" entered the Greek Top 50 Singles chart at #6 and is peaked at #5. Meanwhile, the two singles from their previous album, Allegiance, were still charting in Greece. "Falling to Pieces", which peaked at #11, is was still in at #43, and "Breaking the Silence", which peaked at #16, was still in at #33.
Track listing
- "Into the Fire" (Gus G., Katsionis, Papathanasio) – 6:29
- "Head Up High" (Gus G., Katsionis, Papathanasio) – 3:46
- "Mercenary ManMercenary Man"Mercenary Man" is the third track off Greek power metal band Firewind's fifth studio album The Premonition. It was first released for streaming off Firewind's official myspace page on February 2, 2008 but only physically released as a single to Greece on February 25, 2008...
" (Gus G., Papathanasio) – 3:27 - "Angels Forgive Me" (Gus G., Katsionis, Papathanasio) – 4:57
- "Remembered" (Niclas Engelin, Gus G., Papathanasio) – 3:38
- "My Loneliness" (Gus G., Papathanasio) – 4:04
- "Circle of Life" (Cross, Gus G., Papathanasio) – 4:14
- "The Silent Code" (Cross, Gus G., Papathanasio) – 4:48
- "ManiacManiac (song)"Maniac" is a synthpop song performed by Michael Sembello. The song was used in the 1983 film Flashdance and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac.The film Maniac was about a serial killer who stalks his victims in New York City...
" (Dennis Matkosky, SembelloMichael SembelloMichael Sembello is an American musician and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Career:Sembello was born and raised in Philadelphia. He studied with jazz great Pat Martino and began his career as a professional musician by becoming a session musician, working increasingly with...
) – 4:55 - "Life Foreclosed" (ChasyainDavid T. ChastainDavid T. Chastain is an American guitarist and owner of and .Chastain is a metal guitarist who emerged in the mid-'80s along with a wave of other neo-classical guitarists. He has released about 50 recordings under multiple names, including David T...
, Gus G.) – 4:52 - "Wild Rose" (Gus G.) – 4:23 (iTunes bonus track)
- "Ride to the Rainbow’s End" (Gus G.) - 4:30 (Japanese Bonus Track.)
B-sides
- "Spirits in a Digital World" (Gus G., Christo) – 4:04 (from the "Mercenary Man" single)
- "Mercenary Man [Acoustic]" (Gus G., Papathanasio) – 3:54 (from the "Mercenary Man" single)
Unreleased song
The instrumental song Perasmenes mou Agapes, originally by Manolis ChiotisManolis Chiotis
Manolis Chiotis was a Greek Rebetiko composer, singer and bouzouki player. He was born on March 21, 1920 in Thessaloniki and died in 1970.- See also :* Bouzouki* Rebetes* Rebetiko* Laiko* Greek nightclubs* Greek music...
, was cut at the final stages of the release because of copyright reasons. The song had a few live performances by Firewind including at the Gagarin Open Air festival in Athens 2007. It was also on 12 January 2008 during the filming of Live Premonition
Live Premonition
Live Premonition is the first live dvd from the Greek band Firewind.It had 22 songs and is released on 2 cd's or 1 dvd there is also a combo pack....
but it was also cut from the DVD.
Bonus DVD
The special edition version of the album comes with O-Card packaging and a bonus DVD with four songs, recorded at a live performance of the album in the Principal theatre in Thessaloniki, Greece, on January 12, 2008, and interviews with all the band members.- "Into the Fire" – 6:34
- "Head Up High" – 3:43
- "Mercenary Man" – 3:56
- "My Loneliness" – 4:01
Personnel
Band members- Apollo PapathanasioApollo PapathanasioApostolos "Apollo" Papathanasio is a Swede of Greek descent heavy metal vocalist, who is currently with the bands Firewind, Spiritual Beggars and Evil Masquerade. He has also sung for Meduza, Gardenian, and Richard Andersson's projects Majestic and Time Requiem.In 2007, Papathanasio had to opt...
– vocals - Gus G.Gus G.Kostas Karamitroudis aka Gus G., born September 12, 1980 in Thessaloniki, Greece is a heavy metal guitarist. He currently plays with his band Firewind and Ozzy Osbourne...
– guitars - Babis KatsionisBob KatsionisBabis "Bob" Katsionis , born on February 17, 1977 in Athens, Greece, is the rhythm guitarist and keyboard player for the heavy metal/power metal bands Firewind, Revolution Renaissance and Outloud.-Appearances:...
– keyboards - Petros ChristodoylidisPetros ChristoPetros Christodoulidis , born March 4, 1975 in Greece, is the current bass player of the Power metal band Firewind. He has also played in Breaking Silence. He is the owner of Emerald Cafe, named after the Thin Lizzy song, in his home town, Thessaloniki....
– bass - Mark Cross – drums
Guest musicians
- Marcus Palsson – backing vocals on tracks 2, 5, 8 & 9
Technical staff
- Fredrik NordströmFredrik NordströmBjörn Tom Fredrik Nordström, born on 5 January 1967, is a Swedish record producer and guitar player for the heavy metal band Dream Evil. Nordström is one of the leading melodic death metal producers in Sweden, and he has worked with some of the genre's top acts, including At the Gates, Arch Enemy,...
– mixing, engineering - Henrik Udd – mixing, engineering
- Rickard Bengtson – engineering
- Gustavo Sazes – artwork
- Patric UllaeusPatric UllaeusPatric Ullaeus is an award winning director, photographer and artist. He is the founder of Revolver Film Company which is based in Sweden.-Videography:2011Patric Ullaeus is an award winning director, photographer and artist...
– photography - Olga K. – photographs of Mark Cross