70/100: Chinawhite was founded somewhere in the south of Holland in 1989. During the next 5 years they released 4 demos containing original material and some covers. 1997’s mini-cd "A Dragon’s Birth" was the first release containing pure Chinawhite stuff, 4 songs to be precise. Now, in the year 2000, the band decided it was time for a full studio album. "Breathe Fire" was released a little later than expected due to various reasons but they can be proud of the result. The album perfectly illustrates what they stand for: melodic rock spiced with some symphonic and progressive influences. Also the production, of which all credit goes to Fred Hendrix of the late Terra Nova, is very clear and enables the band to show their talents to the full. The album contains some older stuff too, which results in a concoction of traditional melodic rock songs (like "Foolin’") and songs with a more symphonic approach ("Elevation Ticket" and "Breathe Fire/Changes"). "Breathe Fire" is not an essentional album, but if you like melodic and symphonic rock you should at least give it a try. (Stijn Lambert)