Category VI unveils title track from the upcoming album, Firecry
The first embers sparked in the frosty Canadian Tundra of Newfoundland, Canada, in 2011 when CATEGORY VI released their “Vinland” Demo. This swiftly ignited their path, and their debut album Fireborn (2013), was unleashed in a blaze of burning Metal! Those coals were never quenched, and CATEGORY VI added fuel to the fire with their 2017 follow-up Inferno War Is Hell.
CATEGORY VI, now in 2023, returns with a full blazing firestorm with their third album and most accomplished release to date, Firecry. From the initial flickering flame of “Firecry” to the final cinders of the absolutely combustible cover of HEART’s classic “Barracuda,” CATEGORY VI delivers true and classic 80’s heavy metal with utter perfection. “Firecry” boasts a crisp, clear, and scorching modern production that does not distract from the band’s true 80’s metal sound.
Lyrically crafted around themes of personal pride and triumph (Valkyrie, Heavy is the Crown), witchcraft persecution (Firecry), women’s strength (She Runs With Wolves) & their excellent live performances (Coven), these concepts are boldly and powerfully delivered by the soaring vocal excellence of Amanda Jackman. Bolstered and fueled by the powerful stainless steel riffs and catchy melodies of guitarist Geoff Waye, the pounding anvil bass of Keith Jackman, and the thunderous steadfast drumming of Brian Downton, CATEGORY VI brings classy and classic 1980s power – Traditional Heavy Metal into the 21st century with blazing glory.
To close out one of the best heavy metal albums of the decade, CATEGORY VI delivers an immaculate true metal yet radio-friendly cover of the chart-topping Heart classic “Barracuda.” With “Firecry,” CATEGORY VI unleashes a global scale climate-changing metal cyclone that just may melt the North American frozen tundra with its blazing power metal.
Listen to “Firecry” below and learn more about Category VI via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Category VI was formed in early 2010 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. We are a female-fronted melodic metal band and have been performing with other local hard rock and metal bands and touring bands, including NAIL and ANVIL. We’ve just released our third full-length album.
We self-released our first album, Fireborn, in January 2014. The album was well received and reviewed on the local and international levels. Following the release of Fireborn, CATEGORY VI was signed to Killer Metal Records. The “Silence befalls the crowd“ video was released in 2017 on the Killer Metal Records compilation DVD “Kill For Metal Vol. I“.
Recordings for our second album, War is Hell, took place throughout 2016 at Redhouse Recording in St. John’s, NL. The album was mixed, mastered, and released in June of 2017 on Killer Metal Records. Following great reviews from as far away as Australia, it was nominated for the hard album of the year award by the local music industry association Music NL.
The band started the pandemic in hibernation until the spark that would become our third album, Firecry, was lit. With recording and production moved in-house, we recorded, mixed, and mastered the album ourselves for release through our new record label, Moribund Records. Our first single, the title track, is out, and the full album will be released on March 24, 2023.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
Firecry is melodic, heavy, traditional metal done in a modern way. It seems a little heavier than the first two albums to us but it’s up to the listener. We wrote nine originals and used eight here. The primary lyrical themes circle around the injustice many faces for being different. There’s no fluff. Those eight songs were scrutinized, deconstructed, beaten, and reconstituted into what you hear. If you like Maiden, Priest, Dio, and the big four you’ll like Firecry. Soaring vocals, epic guitar solos, and technical drumming. It’s all there, even a bass solo homage to Cliff Burton in the middle of the song Coven.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
We inspire each other by sharing what we’ve created since the last time we met and build on it together. Lyrically, this album is unabashedly raw. It is angry because we are angry at how women and marginalized people are treated in our society. We hold those responsible for the pain accountable.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
We have to break in a new drummer and do an album release show. Past that, stay tuned.
What’s your goal for 2023?
Get writing Album number four and be ready to record in 2024.