Sixteen years after the original trio got together, a new version of Fire! has emerged from the 19-piece Fire! Orchestra, where Portugal, Berthing and Gustafsson have been working together over the past few years.
Adding Brazilian Mariá Portugal on drums and vocals radically extends the language of the trio. She adds her tropicalia roots to the typical Fire! sound: elements from raw and brutal rock paired with the open landscapes of free improvised music interacting with riffs, doom and noise to create something new.
To quote Gustafsson: “The riffs will always be the KEY. The riffs will always be. The RIFFS! Repetition and silence. Repetition and high energy frenzy. Repetition and mayhem beauty. Repetition and repetition… and again…”
Fire! finds inspiration in Earth, Sunn O))), Clara Crocodilo, Albert Ayler, Karen Dalton, Morphine, Shellac, PJ Harvey, Dust, GF Haas, Gal Costa, Alzira E, Karina Buhr, Fugazi, Archie Shepp, Os Mutantes, Stooges, The Cramps and much more. It all transformed into the world, the music and the esthetics of the new FIRE!
Mats Gustafsson - baritone sax and flute
Johan Berthling - bass
Mariá Portugal - drums and vocals
