It is in my opinion nowhere near as good as 3 Inches Of Blood's Advance And Vanquish album. I mean I don't know if it's just because Advance and Vanquish was the first 3IOB album I bought (I had heard Deadly Sinners on Tony Hawks Underground) but I really believe that Advance and Vanquish is their magnum opus. Fire Up The Blades is a good album but for me it just doesn't have any riffs that stand out and are memorable. Or any catchy chanting parts like wykdtron from AAV. Advance and Vanquish for me has 3IOB's greatest songs, the now classic Deadly Sinners, Premonition Of Pain, Wykdtron, the Boiling Sea trilogy, Revenge Is A Vulture and so on. I give Fire Up The Blades 4 stars simply because it is still 3IOB, it is good new era heavy metal album, but for me nothing can beat their second album Advance And Vanquish, that is the album with all their best songs on in my opinon, the album with all the memorable riffs. But still if you buy that album first and like it then by all means check out Fire Up The Blades because you will still enjoy it as it's still 3IOB.

With their new release they take it up a level. This album is by far their heaviest outing and will bludgeon you to death with some killer heavy riffs. The Orcs had better be running for cover now. Battle metal at it's finest, sharpen up those blades and let the mayhem commence

Once again 3IOB deliver the goods. They're not your typical metal chugga chugga band... and no, there are no beatdowns here - and that's why we love em!! If you want no nonsense metal with a full on battle slant then these are your guys. Even if you don't like "battle metal" then i recommend this, as it's not as pure as someone like Turisas... it's much more enjoyable than that!!! It draws in elements of speed, thrash and death too - probably due to a certain Mr Jordison's production skills!! Definately hook yourself up with this album.

I didn't think they would be able to top Advance and Vanquish.... but they did. A&V was probably one of the best metal albums of all time.... THIS IS THE GREATEST!!!!!! I have pretty much stopped listening to other bands since this album came out. I used to love Maiden / Priest etc.... I don't even bother with them anymore. This is truly all I need.

Hands down... This is the best metal album of all time.

People really should buy this album, the vocals are amazing. Anyone that truely loves metal needs this album, and most of 3 Inches of Blood's back catalogue. I got this as soon as it came out, having the rest of their albums, and this doesn't disappoint, it's great.

As I said before, the twin vocals are amazing and really stand out, as well as the great songwriting.

Nothing here is amazing deep or technical but it's great.

A must buy!!!

For anyone who got the first album you know that the theme of battle metal was well underway with bands like Turisas coming along there is strong competition out there. But when you come accross a producer like Joey Jordison (Slipknot) for your next album theres no doubt that the follow up to Advance And Vanquish is going to be good. This music is ALOT heavier and faster then the first album but it also keeps elements from the first album that will either have you screaming along or laughing along either way the album has enough grip on it to last you till the end of the album. I like the fact that this album has advanced on the predecessor album and fans of the original music and the power metal fans will find this a treat for your ears to hear ^_^

To put it simply this album is Pure Metal at it's finest!
I recently saw the band on their last tour where they played some tracks off the new album, as soon as it came out I had to have it and I am glad I did.
This album has songs full of energy and battle metal fit for any fan of metal! It has some amazing riffs and a lot of catchy songs this is one album you as a metal fan should own!!!

This is the Canadian, fantasy driven, Power Metal band's 3 CD and the 2nd for Roadrunner and this continues where the last one left off and is chock full epic Power Metal tunes with a falsetto vocalist and telling a good tale.

These guys should have been the soundtrack to Lord Of The Rings, that would have been real cool but you can use your imagination, Jason & the Argonauts gets the 3IO#B treatment this time with a track inspired by part of the Golden Fleece film, called "The Hydra's Teeth" you know the one where the army of the dead rise and try to slay the heroes, "Assassin's Of The Light" is also just as good, galloping powerful riffs and that distinctive voice. The other tracks to watch out for are "Nocturnal Command", "Night Marauders" and "Trial Of Champions" all of them making you want to don your loin cloth, grab your plastic sword and hold it aloft in Conan The Barbarian style, total escapism, flawlessly performed with loving care and expertly produced by Slipknot's Joey Jordison, what better commendation do you requite..

TOTOAL PLAYING TIME = 52 mins + 13 Epic TRACKS

With the follow up to Advance and Vanquish... many of us were left thinking "What Else Can These Guys Hit Us With?!" The blinding guitar work and bestial vocals have continued the 3 Inches of Blood saga into a new level of metal! Kicking straight off with the killer "Through the Horned Gate", this album gives nothing that a true 3IoB fan won't like! Another Amthemic track from the boys "Night Marauders" will be sure to gain notoriety within their fanbase in the way that "Destroy the Orcs" did previously!
If you only buy one metal album this year... make it this one!