The demo attracted the attention of Leviathan Records, but activity was put on hold when Gus was hired by Dream Evil and Mystic Prophecy.
After the release of his other bands' debut albums, Gus' attention returned to the Firewind project. Only he remained from the original formation - Leviathan owner David T. Chastain brought in vocalist Stephen Fredrick and drummer Brian Harris (both ex-Kenziner), while Gus enlisted the help of bassist Konstantine, a fellow Greek. this line-up recorded the debut album Between Heaven and Hell.
In 2003, new changes were instituted as Norwegian drummer Stian Kristoffersen and Greek bassist Petros Christo joined the band. Harris and Konstantine had been replaced as Gus was looking for a more permanent rhythm section that was prepared to tour. This line-up recorded Burning Earth and went on a tour of Japan with Rob Rock, but without vocalist Stephen Fredrick, who was not prepared to go on the road (despite prior guarantees to the contrary). His replacement on the Burning the Earth Tour, the Sri Lankan singer Chitral 'Chity' Somapala, was given the job full-time. Fellow touring member Bob Katsionis was also hired permanently to play keyboards. Firewind got a worldwide deal with Century Media by the end of that year.
This line-up recorded the album Forged By Fire, but a few months after the release, Chity left due to personal and musical differences with the rest of the band. When his replacement, Apollo Papathanasio of Time Requiem, was found, it was also announced that Stian Kristoffersen would be leaving, to be replaced with the veteran Mark Cross. The reason for the split was that Gus wanted to have a set of Greek-based musicians willing to make Firewind their number one priority (probably to end the virtual revolving door of members) and Stian's main band was the Norwegian outfit Pagan's Mind. Gus also left his roles in Dream Evil, Mystic Prophecy and Nightrage between 2004 and 2006.
This new line-up recorded the album Allegiance, which was released in July 2006.
During November - December 2006, they toured the UK supporting Dragonforce with All That Remains.
In 2009, Gus G. became Ozzy Osbourne's guitar player.
In 2010 Apollo became the new Spiritual Beggars frontman.
In 2010, Michael Ehre replaced drummer Mark Cross.
In 2010, Michael Ehre left and was replaced by Johan Nunez (also Nightrage)
Line-up
* Herbie Langhans - Vocals (also Avantasia and Radiant)
* Gus G. (Kostas Karamitroudis) - Guitars (formerly Keyboards)
* Petros Christo - Bass
* Johan Nunez - Drums (also Nightrage)
Former members
* Brandon Pender - Vocals (1998)
* Stephen Fredrick - Vocals (2001-2003)
* Chitral Somapala - Vocals (2004-2005)
*Apollo Papathanasio - Vocals (2005-2013)
*Henning Basse - Vocals (2015-2020)
* Bob Katsionis - Keyboards, live Guitar (2004-2020)
* Konstantine (Kostas Exarhakis) - Bass (2001-2003)
* Matt Scurfield - Drums (1998)
* Brian Harris - Drums (2001-2003)
* Stian L. Kristoffersen - Drums (2003-2005)
* Mark Cross - Drums (2005 - 2010)
* Michael Ehre - Drums (2010)
Discography
* Nocturnal Symphony (Demo, 1998)
* Between Heaven and Hell (2002)
* Burning Earth (2003)
* Forged By Fire (2005)
* Allegiance (2006)
* The Premonition (2008)
*Days of Defiance (2010)
*Few Against Many (2012)
*Immortals (2017)
*Firewind (2020)
Allegiance
Firewind Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your life sucked from your veins
Clever disguise falling from grace
And now the sins are marching on
Inside my mind
All I've got
I'm taking over me
See our generation storm the burning heart
No more places in the hull
We're all about to fall
Empty memories are shattering our dreams
Can you recall?
Pledge your allegiance
Pledge your allegiance
You hate them yet you won't retain
The wars you fight and endorse
The path of no return you take
Until you lose control
Inside my mind
All I've got
I'm taking over me
See our generation storm the burning heart
No more places in the hull
We're all about to fall
Empty memories are shattering our dreams
Can you recall?
See our generation storm the burning heart
No more places in the hull
We're all about to fall
Empty memories are shattering our dreams
Can you recall?
See our generation storm the burning heart
No more places in the hull
We're all about to fall
Empty memories are shattering our dreams
Can you recall?
The lyrics of Firewind's song Allegiance portray a world filled with manipulation and pain, where people are being fed lies and drained of their life. The clever disguise of those behind the lies is falling apart, and their sins are marching on. The lyrics explore the idea of taking control of one's own mind and life, not following the path of no return, and pledging one's allegiance to a cause or belief that is worth fighting for. The sense of urgency and impending collapse is evident throughout the song as the generation storms the burning heart with no more places in the hull, and empty memories shatter their dreams.
The lyrics of Allegiance are open to interpretation, but they seem to be a call to action for people to wake up from the lies they are being fed and take control of their own lives. The burning heart and the hull are metaphorical representations of society, and the fact that there are no more places in the hull suggests that change is necessary to avoid impending disaster. The repetition of the lines "see our generation storm the burning heart" and "empty memories are shattering our dreams" further emphasize the urgency of the message.
Line by Line Meaning
They feed you lies and bring you pain
Deceptive and manipulative people are lying to you and causing you immense suffering.
Your life sucked from your veins
These individuals are draining the life out of you, leaving you feeling empty and hollow inside.
Clever disguise falling from grace
The facade that these people have been maintaining is quickly crumbling and their true, malevolent nature is becoming exposed.
And now the sins are marching on
Despite their downfall, these malevolent forces are still working to enact their evil plans and influence society.
Inside my mind
All I've got
I'm taking over me
The artist is taking control of their thoughts and refusing to let themselves be manipulated any further.
See our generation storm the burning heart
No more places in the hull
We're all about to fall
Empty memories are shattering our dreams
Can you recall?
The entire generation is fighting for justice and taking a stand against these malevolent forces, but they still face the risk of failure and losing their dreams in the process.
Pledge your allegiance
Pledge your allegiance
The singer is calling on everyone to pledge their allegiance to the cause of justice and taking a stand against evil forces.
You hate them yet you won't retain
The wars you fight and endorse
The path of no return you take
Until you lose control
Despite the artist's animosity towards these malevolent forces, they have still found themselves caught up in their struggles and unable to break free from the path they've taken until it's too late and they've lost control.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
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