The Safety Fire: "Grind The Ocean"

"Grind The Ocean" is a monumental masterpiece from a band that deserves far more credit than they receive.

Selected songs for listening: "Huge Hammers", "Floods Of Colour"

Leaving you breathless like a
fish out of water.

Although I have been trying to expand my tastes beyond the realm of the overarching genre of metal, The Safety Fire has had me in an inescapable daze for weeks on end. I was rummaging through the endless racks of CDs at the music store and happened to see this one on the shelf, instantaneously reminding myself that I had been meaning to pick it up. And I am certainly grateful that I did; let me get straight to the point. This is quite possibly my metal album of the year. Hell, this may be one of my all-time favorite albums ever. It is indeed just that good.

Well, I didn’t hide that sentiment at all. But really, where do I begin with such a grandiose statement to a band that, quite frankly, I had not heard of until roughly three months ago? How does a new addition to my library beat out other bands that I have enjoyed religiously for years? It comes down to a combination of many different factors that swirl and blend together into a vicious sonic vortex that is both raw and amazing in my ears.

While their debut album itself is new as of this year, The Safety Fire itself has been around for much longer—since 2006, to be exact—and their only other release is a short EP from 2009. Other than that, they have quietly hid under the metal grid until “Grind The Ocean”. This strikes me as odd, for some reason; I would tend to think that a band that has been around for such a time would have at least cranked out one full release beforehand. However, in the case of our progressive metal heroes from Great Britain, they can take as much time as they please to put out a work if it always comes out this good.

We, The Safety Fire, believe in mustaches for all!

Let’s once again start from the beginning with the overall production quality. Through some sort of engineering magic, The Safety Fire achieves one of the most raw, aggressive sounds that I have heard from a band in a long time—if ever. All instruments carry this difficultly-defined edge to them that just seems to cut straight through; indeed, it feels like all instruments vie for the spotlight in every song, mercilessly shoving their companions out of the way. This also means that all of the instruments are nicely audible. If you know me or follow my reviews, you’ll remember that a common complaint is that the bass hides underneath everything else. Not here: the beastly low end growls its way into a nice niche that allows observance of skill and technicality. Guitars are nicely balanced with slightly different tones; one carries a leadership tone with more trebly edge and the other boosts the midrange with its chugs. In some songs, this difference is very clear (i.e. a middle part in “Sections” with clever panning)—but not to the point of distraction. Drums are driving and crisp, yet never seems to overpower anyone else in their mayhem. In a flat or balanced EQ, the overall sound still kicks hard in the best way possible without becoming a bass-laden mush in the ears. It’s downright beautiful to think of the careful processing and precision adjustments made to create such a masterful mix.

Notice how I left out one very importing element in the last section. The singer needs his own paragraph because he is not only the most pivotal part of the band but also the most controversial. Since the release of this album, countless arguments have been made for and against this guy due to his unique style. Before you judge too hard, let me explain both sides. You’ll hear in “Huge Hammers” the one end of the spectrum very quickly into the song; the raspy screams that manage to hold a tone somehow are what drive away a lot of listeners. It’s understandable: this is a very uncommon sound to hear, and it honestly can be grating after a while once it loses its novelty. However, you’ll also hear in the same song his clean vocals, which are beautiful to say the least. The mellow harmonies and soaring tenor he belts out in not only “Huge Hammers” but throughout the album are wonderful to hear, making the listener question if they even come from the same man. Indeed it is the same guy doing both parts, speaking volumes towards his sheer vocal prowess. Unfortunately, I cannot try to sway you either way on this issue; I feel that only repetitive listens will make a decision for you. Personally, after hearing this album all the way through at least ten or more times now, I love the stark contrast between the two vocal styles. To me, it creates more diversity in the overall sound of the songs and allows for a more interesting listen. But that’s just me; you’ll have to decide for yourself.

"You! Yeah, you, in the back! No flash
photography, dammit!"

Speaking of the overall sound of the songs, there are many different structures and styles to be enjoyed throughout the entire track list. Being that The Safety Fire is a progressive metal band, you’ll hear a bone-crushingly heavy breakdown and the next moment hear calm seas of cleans and soothing harmonies. It is an entire, diverse world of sound to explore with your ears and your mind. One thing in particular I should point out is the usage of seemingly random parts that actually do serve a purpose. The best example of this concept is in “Sections”: in the beginning, the guitar plays a series of out-of-tempo sixteenth notes that beg question of their existence. But later on, a careful listener will hear that same set of notes quickly set up the next section of the song. What seemed to be a useless addition was an important tag that connected parts of the song together. This sort of situation, while not as audible, happens through the entire song list, and demonstrates the brilliant writing that occurred when the band mapped out their opus. Not too often does one hear such precise structuring and clever writing anymore; thankfully, these guys take it to a whole new level and give their listeners something to think about.

Honestly, I don’t know what to say negatively about this album. There were some gripes I had at first—such as the vocals and the last song feeling a little bit awkward in nature—but after many listens these things have become part of the work as a whole. I just cannot find anything wrong with the CD. Everything sounds magnificent, the songs are intelligently composed, the technicality of the instruments is top-notch, and it leaves me feeling delightfully satisfied every time. There’s always another way I can pick apart the songs to hear something different each time. There’s always another layer I can peel back to expose the sheer complication of the music that creates such a wondrous sound-scape. This album is like a juicy steak for my brain—rich, full of flavor, and always leaving me satisfied yet oddly hungry for more. I can’t hide it from you readers, and I don’t intend to. This is truly a one-of-a-kind, higher-level work of art. The Safety Fire’s “Grind The Ocean” cranks out:

7 vast seas of sound out of 7.