Quest For Fire

Live, Quest for Fire have made quite the name for themselves. Since forming out of the ashes of the Deadly Snakes and Cursed, the Toronto quartet have attracted their fair share of praise for their stoner rockin’ psychedelia, securing opening slots for the likes of Black Mountain, Eric’s Trip and Attack in Black. But on record, Quest for Fire prove to be a tough sell. While meaning well, their self-titled debut struggles to drive the rock home, coming off as a bit restrained and lacking the spontaneity needed to make a rock’n’roll record truly great. Some of this is due to the drawn-out, solo-loving delivery, which amps up neither the intensity nor the trippiness enough to pull off the six-minute-plus running times. But more often, the shortcomings can be pinned on the bland production that sucks the life out of the band’s sonic assault and leaves it tame and domesticated, the drums being the biggest victim. In the end, you’re left not wanting to break out the horns or the bong, and sadly not this album either.