CLEANBREAK – We Are The Fire

Back in 2022, vocalist James Durbin (American Idol fame) teamed up with  guitar player Mike Flyntz (Riot V) to form the heavy metal duo CLEANBREAK, releasing their first album Coming Home. 2 years later and the they’re back with the follow-up effort: CLEANBREAK – We Are The Fire. They are joined by Frontiers Music s.r.l. veterans Alessandro Del Vecchio (Edge of Forever, Hardline, Vanden Plas) on bass, keyboards, and backing vocals, while Nicholas Papapicco (Robin McAuley, Toby Hitchcock) completes the lineup on drums.

Lyrics

Examining the lyrics on one song: “Warrior’s Anthem”, we get the point that it’s meant to inspire one to battle. Let’s take a look.

Warrior’s Anthem

In a world full of chaos
We find our strength
Through the trials and battles
We rise to the brink

With our hearts set on fire
We light up the stage
We’re united as one and,
Together we’ll break out this cage

Together we’re defying all the odds
In this anthem of hope
We’ll conquer all the gods

Warriors of light
Unleashing our power for justice
We’re starting to fight
Warriors of light
With dreams in our hearts
We will never back down or resign

My warriors now arise!

The lyrics feel a bit like they’ve thrown every “fight” and “battle” cliché in, including the kitchen sink. It’s unsure how the connection of “We light up the stage” works with all of the battle and war references, but that’s a minor critique.

Production

The sound quality, production and musicianship is great. Mike Flyntz does fantastic guitar work, as always. James Durbin can do everything from the heavy metal screams and growls to the more melodic AOR tunes. Alessandro Del Vecchio adds a ton to the production quality, with his great keyboard work, and backing vocals.

Final Notes

The album is a mix of several heavy metal styles. The opening track “Warrior’s Anthem” gives us the classic metal riffs and giant choruses, while the ballad “Love Again” feels like a different band altogether. The songs are all well done, just not striking in originality. Overall, CLEANBREAK – We Are The Fire has some good moments, and is an easy listen. Fans of AOR metal will find lots to like here.

Lineup

• James Durbin – vocals
• Mike Flyntz – guitars
• Alessandro Del Vecchio – bass, keyboards, backing vocals
• Nicholas Papapicco – drums

We Are The Fire – Tracklist

1. Warrior’s Anthem
2. Never Gone
3. Unbreakable
4. Can’t Lose Hope
5. Breathless
6. Deal With Yourself
7. Love Again
8. Bide Our Time
9. Start To Breathe
10. We Are The Fire
11. Resilience In Our Souls

Check out the new video for “Warrior’s Anthem” by CLEANBREAK off of their new album: We Are The Fire