Artist: Fireflight
Album: For Those Who Wait
Year: 2010
Label: Flicker Records
Website: http://www.fireflightrock.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/fireflight
Twitter: @fireflightrock
Buy: iTunes - Amazon - Official Store
Sounds Like: Paramore, Disciple, VersaEmerge, Flyleaf, Skillet
Rating: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥

For bands like Fireflight, success is inevitable. The melodic hard rock band led by Dawn Michele (vocals), and shaped by Wendy Drennen (bass), Justin Cox (guitar, background vocals), Glenn Drennen (guitar) and Phee Shorb (drums) returned with their third album “For Those Who Wait”. Produced by the acclaimed Rob Hawkins, which introduces new musical elements along with vulnerable lyrics offering hope to those who have put their faith in God.

The opening song is titletrack “For Those Who Wait”, which increases through a symphony of violins that quickly hooks up with the overwhelming cry from Dawn saying: “This is for those who wait”. Apparently the violins in the hard rock has become a cliché, classic examples include Red and Skillet. Often we don’t know what God is doing, and that creates some anxiety in our hearts, but He is in control of everything and he will fulfill its purpose anyway. The acoustic instrumental whispers: “The pressure makes us stronger / The struggle makes us hunger / The hard lessons makes the difference”. The successful first single “Desperate” has a crude but sincere message. With Justin Cox’s wild guitar riffs and Dawn Michele’s shrill voice, reflecting those moments when we think God is ignoring us: “I know You hear me / Would You give me a sign? / Reel me in before I’ve fallen in line / You’ve put me on a path I don’t understand / I’m standing on a ledge waving my hands”. But it also reminds us that God knows our hearts, our anguish and his love erase our doubts. Unpredictable “Fire In My Eyes” surprises us with a powerful vocal performance and a great musical attitude, with a rock’n’roll grenade that seems to disappear for a few seconds, but that erupts in a chilling chorus: “I’ve got a fire in my eyes / I’m burning brighter than the sunlight / You orchestrated my escape /Now I’m awake / I feel alive for the first time / You ignite the fire in my eyes”. This track uses a creative metaphor to express the joyful heart of someone who found the reason for his existence, the reason for his freedom. The beat goes 80’s with “Core of My Addiction”, which begins with a doubtful guitar that expands rapidly with mesmerizing lyrical confessing our addiction to the love of God: “You’re the core of my addiction / I want to live, want to lose myself in You / You’re the heart of my obsession / I want to live, but I would die for You / I’m addicted”. Then, “What I’ve Overcome” resembles Flyleaf with an intense grunge modern rock, which echoes: “I’m not what I have done / I’m what I’ve overcome”, reflecting the change that Christ does in our lifestyles, our attitude and our past, somehow. “Name” shows the vulnerable side of the album, with slight violins, sweet pianos summarized in a beautiful ballad that radiates the moments when we feel alone and completely unknown, with a lack of identity. But this song gives hope to those who thought that God has abandoned them: “He sees you, He’s near you / He knows your face, He knows your pain / He sees you and He loves you / He knows your name, He knows your name”. The interruption of “New Perspective” is epic. With strong remembrances of Paramore and a chaotic but great message: “Reach up, reach out / This house is burning down / These walls we’ve built are caving in / Reach up, don’t give up / We’re standing on the ashes / With a clearer view and a new perspective”. “You Give Me That Feeling” gives us a great musical contribution with powerful guitars, and a perfect duet between Wendy and Justin, that appreciate the change that Christ has given us: “I always thought if someone knew the real me they would turn away / but now I’ve found your love completes me / and I’ll never be the same”. The pace up and acoustic “All I Need To Be”, enlightens us with a prayer to the true identity of a believer. Dawn explains: “Many people of faith experience recurring anxiety as they seek God’s will for their lives. Instead of seeing their calling to the Christian life as being definitive, believers often obsess over vocation as a potential calling. Says Dawn, “I went through a time when I was seeking God intensely, asking, ‘What is the path You’d have for me? Where should I go?’ And I felt like He said to me, ‘My path covers the whole world, and I walk in love.’ I felt like what He was saying to me was that as long as I am walking in love and listening for His leading, it doesn’t matter where I go or what I do, that I will have fulfilled His purposes”. The chorus says: “Tell me again that I am strong / Tell me again that I won’t fall / I need you here to fix me where I’m wrong / Take me beyond what I can see / Break me, make me believe / That you have made me all I need to be”. The somber “Recovery Begins” starts with a gentle piano giving the perfect balance to the album, despite being at the end. The evolution of Dawn’s voice is amazing, while seconds pass, drums, piano and guitars whisper a scream caught in our throats. The message is about remaining silent when the Lord speaks: “I talk, I talk too much / I never open up / To what You need to say / My words get in the way”. Excellent outcome for the disc. Of note, the bonus track “Proof Of Our Love” was released the same day as the album, as gifts to mailing list members Fireflight. It’s an aggressive track, busting your eardrums through the excellent work on guitars. Having it in my iTunes library is a privilege.

“For Those Who Wait is full of stories, even on our own, our family, friends and fans. These are our lives, our hearts and our grief spilled” confesses Dawn Michele. In this album, Fireflight encourages us to find healing in this anxious world and the strength of hope, saying that lessons make a difference, and the difference makes it all worthwhile.

Para bandas como Fireflight, el éxito es inevitable. El hard rock melódico liderado por Dawn Michele (vocalista), y conformado por Wendy Drennen (bajo), Justin Cox (guitarra, voces), Glenn Drennen (guitarra) y Phee Shorb (batería) retorna con su tercer álbum “For Those Who Wait”. Producido por el aclamado Rob Hawkins, que introduce nuevos elementos musicales junto con letras vulnerables ofreciendo esperanza para aquellos que han puesto su fe en Dios.

La canción de apertura es el titletrack “For Those Who Wait”, que se incrementa a través de una sinfonía de violines que rápidamente se engancha con el grito contundente de Dawn al decir: “This is for those who wait”. Al parecer los violines en el hard rock se han vuelto un cliché, clásicos ejemplos serían Skillet y Red. Muchas veces no sabemos lo que Dios está haciendo, y eso crea una cierta ansiedad en nuestros corazones, pero Él está en el control de todo y cumplirá de todas maneras su propósito. El acústico instrumental susurra: “The pressure makes us stronger / The struggle makes us hunger / The hard lessons makes the difference”. El exitoso primer sencillo “Desperate” tiene un crudo pero sincero mensaje. Con los salvajes riffs de Justin Cox, y la estridente voz de Dawn Michele, reflejando aquellos momentos en que pensamos que Dios nos está ignorando: “I know You hear me / Would You give me a sign? / Reel me in before I’ve fallen in line / You’ve put me on a path I don’t understand / I’m standing on a ledge waving my hands”. Sin embargo también nos recuerda que Dios conoce nuestros corazones, nuestra angustia y que su amor borra nuestra duda. La impredecible “Fire In My Eyes” nos sorprende con una poderosa performance vocal y una gran actitud musical, con una granada de rock’n’roll que parece desvanecerse por algunos segundos, pero que estalla en un estremecedor coro: “I’ve got a fire in my eyes / I’m burning brighter than the sunlight / You orchestrated my escape /Now I’m awake / I feel alive for the first time / You ignite the fire in my eyes”. Este track emplea una creativa metáfora al expresar el alegre corazón de alguien que encontró la razón de su existencia, el motivo de su libertad. El latido ochentero llega con “Core Of My Addiction”, que comienza con una dudosa guitarra que se dilata rápidamente con la hipnotizadora lírica que confiesa nuestra adicción hacia el amor de Dios: “You’re the core of my addiction / I want to live, want to lose myself in You / You’re the heart of my obsession / I want to live, but I would die for You / I’m addicted”. Seguidamente, “What I’ve Overcome” se asemeja a Flyleaf con un rock moderno e intenso grunge, que hace eco en: “I’m not what I have done / I’m what I’ve overcome” mostrando el cambio que Cristo hace en nuestros estilos de vidas, nuestra actitud y nuestro pasado, de alguna manera. “Name” muestra el lado vulnerable del álbum, con leves violines, dulces pianos resumidos en una hermosa balada que irradia los momentos en que nos sentimos solos y totalmente desconocidos, con una carencia de identidad. Pero esta canción le brinda esperanza a aquellos que sienten que Dios los ha abandonando: “He sees you, He’s near you / He knows your face, He knows your pain / He sees you and He loves you / He knows your name, He knows your name”. La interrupción de “New Perspective” es épica. Con fuertes remembranzas a Paramore y un caótico pero positivo mensaje: “Reach up, reach out / This house is burning down / These walls we’ve built are caving in / Reach up, don’t give up / We’re standing on the ashes / With a clearer view and a new perspective”. Un gran aporte musical nos entrega “You Give Me That Feeling” con poderosas guitarras, y un perfecto dueto entre Wendy y Justin, que agradecen el cambio que Cristo nos han regalado: “I always thought if someone knew the real me they would turn away / but now I’ve found your love completes me / and I’ll never be the same”. El ascendente y acústico ritmo en “All I Need To Be”, nos ilustra con una oración la verdadera identidad de un creyente. Dawn explica: “Mucha gente experimenta una recurrente ansiedad al buscar la voluntad de Dios en sus vidas. En lugar de ver su llamado como algo definitivo, a menudo se obsesionan por una vocación como un llamado potencial. Pasé por un momento en que estaba buscando a Dios intensamente, y me preguntaba, ¿cuál es el camino que tienes para mí? ¿a dónde debo ir?. Y sentí que me dijo: “Mi camino cubre todo el mundo, y yo camino en el amor”. Sentí que lo que me decía era que no importara dónde vaya o lo que haga, si camino con amor en su camino y oigo su voz guiándome, su propósito se cumplirá”. El coro nos dice: “Tell me again that I am strong / Tell me again that I won’t fall / I need you here to fix me where I’m wrong / Take me beyond what I can see / Break me, make me believe / That you have made me all I need to be”. La sombría “Recovery Begins” se inicia con un apacible piano dando el balance perfecto al álbum, a pesar de hacerlo al final de éste. La evolución de la voz de Dawn es sorprendente, conformo los segundos pasan los tambores, el piano y las guitarras murmuran un grito atrapado en nuestras gargantas. El mensaje es acerca de permanecer en silencio cuando el Señor nos habla: “I talk, I talk too much / I never open up / To what You need to say / My words get in the way”. Excelente desenlace para el disco. Cabe resaltar que el bonus track “Proof Of Our Love” fue lanzando el mismo día que el álbum, como regalo a los miembros de la lista de correo de la web de Fireflight. Es un agresivo track, que revienta tus tímpanos a través del excelente trabajo en las guitarras. El hecho de tenerla en mi biblioteca de iTunes, es todo un privilegio.

“For Those Who Wait está lleno de historias personales, incluso sobre los nuestros, nuestra familia, amigos y fans. Son nuestras vidas, nuestro corazón y nuestro dolor derramado”, nos confiesa Dawn Michele. En este álbum, Fireflight nos anima a encontrar la sanidad en este ansioso mundo y la fuerza en la esperanza, al afirmar que las lecciones hacen la diferencia, y la diferencia hace que todo valga la pena.