U2 – The Unforgettable Fire Review

How does any band, let alone U2, follow up an album like War? A sleeper hit of their discography, an album which should be in the discussion for their very best works. It is their best work pre-The Joshua Tree, that much is for sure. The Unforgettable Fire tries to follow up on the fine blur of honest, Catholic values and the post-punk energies of their first two works, Boy and October. But where War managed this seamless blur of two sonic stylings, The Unforgettable Fire tries to repeat on the world around them. After the near end of the band during those War recordings, it is safe to say Bono, The Edge, and the band were walking on eggshells. One direction was outweighing the artistic vision of the others. You can hear it come to a head here, and hiring Brian Eno is a major statement of intent for where they wanted the style of The Unforgettable Fire to go.  

Their worries about arena rock avenues would be realised later. For now, the band were keen to redefine themselves after the success of their punchy, roaring War. A new direction at a time when the band could have found themselves as the new arena rock pioneers is refreshing, though it feels a tad dim now that the band are pop favourites anyway. Some roads are inevitably followed, consciously or not. At least the band throughout The Unforgettable Fire is trying to stave off those inevitabilities. How much of a shift is an opener like A Sort of Homecoming, though? It has the expected and thoroughly welcome guitar wails The Edge has become known for, and he maintains a similar quality and tone to those War songs. Nothing wrong with that, but in searching for a new sound, the band in fact doubles down on those songs which translate to arenas. Take the lead single, Pride (In the Name of Love) or Bad, pieces written without the big stage in mind but certainly fitting there. 

Where Wire may do little, the softer rock proportions of the title track remain clear and are, ultimately, very enjoyable. This is U2 charting a course for lighter territories, shifting away from the heavier and harsher post-punk-like tone which defined them on their first three albums. The Unforgettable Fire does well to ditch this sound in principle, but in its place is a similar-sounding effort. Promenade and 4th of July feel relatively tame, stripped down to their essentials in the hope of highlighting some depth which Bono forgets to provide. The band, with Eno in the production seat, sound obsessed with breaking Stateside, irrespective of their colloquial moments and ties to Slane Castle. Elvis Presley and America, as well as album closer, MLK, hope to tie U2 with the Americanised boom of rock and roll.  

It works to some degree. The Unforgettable Fire remains a thrilling experience, but is very stop and start. From the thrills of Bad to the forgettable Indian Summer Sky. The band struggles to catch the right pace for their tracklist and, as a result, the slower standard, the lighter instrumental appeal which Eno provides, pales in comparison to War. Even still, The Unforgettable Fire is a new dawn for U2, a fresh direction after they hit a rock and roll peak with their preceding album. Back-to-back, it feels like a harsh comedown but a necessary step. Independent of one another, The Unforgettable Fire is a stumble made to look intentional. Strong work can be heard on the album, though the softer flourishes, the lighter style, does not quite work. The band would improve this on future releases, at least.