Fire Up the Blades marks the first major role of Joey Jordison of Slipknot and Murderdolls, as a producer, who revealed that he'd been a fan of the band since their first studio album, Battlecry Under a Wintersun.

[1] Prior to the album's release, the band stressed that Fire Up the Blades would be "darker, tighter and more dangerous" than their Roadrunner Records debut.

[1] "This album is heavily influenced by low quality beer, bong rips and listening to black metal in the dark," says Hooper.

"[2] A sampler containing demo versions of "The Goatriders Horde" and "Night Marauders" began circulating the Internet in March 2007.

This sampler may have been bootlegged however, as a demo version of "Night Marauders" was previously released that January on a free CD issued with that month's edition of Metal Hammer magazine.