• 6Dec 07

  Revisited: Venus Doom ~ H.I.M

  The low-key launch of this album meant that I almost missed it entirely. After the dismal "Dark Light" I wasn't terribly excited, still I had vouchers to spare so I check it out.

  Kicking off with an oddly familiar hiss of a match being lit, VD (heh) sounded immediately more "HIMen" - a lot less Amerikkanized. The musical motif of that old English verse "Lavender Blue(?)" is used; very twee and a hint of ye old love metal.

  There are no apparent HIM anthems so this album takes more than a couple of spins to digest. Well actually it took more than a month of spinning for me to latch onto VD. And it's quite good actually.

  Cons? The album cover. Brown and uninspiring, miss the days of "Razor Blade Romance" Ville Valo, decked out in pink and smokin'.

  • Posted Dec 6, 2007 7:27 pm PT
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• 6Dec 07

  Nighwishin uuden levy Dark Passion Play

  ... can only be described as EPIC. An enormous rock operatti EPIC.

  
  It's one of those albums that pushes your sound system to its very limit... I got the double-cd version imported from spinefarm.fi.
  
  DPP should've been released during Easter and Tarja is missed but the drama and intensity of the orchestra, soaring vocals, sweeping arrangement... simply overwhelms the senses.
  
  I find myself shamelessly intoning the words to "For The Heart I Once Had" - and discovered I am an alto hahah Voi, the neighbours are in for a treat this weekend...

  • Posted Dec 6, 2007 6:15 pm PT
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• 25May 07

  ANGELS has landed...

  Would've reviewed the album but it's not appearing in mp3.com 

   Finally wrapped my ears around the follow-up to 2004's Devils and it's a worthy sequel! More old skool LA rock (what's with the Billy Idol fixation??) which ironically I don't think get The 69s mainstream airplay in the US - it's all MOR, pop-punk stuff there - this is way to heeeeavy rawwwk - too much motor oil, chains and leather. Jack Black and Germans would love it. And yeah, Jyrki's unique rock Elvis vocals is a acquired taste. Fave tracks: Angels, Never Say Die, Wings & Hearts -- and Frankenhooker (killer chorus...) - the only bummer is the oddly wimpy "Star of Fate".
  Serious fan girls will find Jussi's pic alone is worth the price of the CD. My take: This album will top charts all over Europe; Americans don't buy into hardcore glam/slam rock anymore so sorry Jyrki, the 69s probably won't break into the States with this great album but hey - who cares??? The 69 Eyes remain true rock gods!

  Here's a pic of the albumhttp://bp0.blogger.com/_XQ4Uf88ikWo/RjL4UepThNI/AAAAAAAAAKI/KOo5R2mx6PM/s1600-h/angels.jpg

  • Posted May 25, 2007 10:24 pm PT
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