The band's 14th album finds them making a stab at retaking the Finnish air waves. The first song feels a little more inspired with the groove to the guitars than "Drive' which reverts to a style more like what they did on their previous album that reminded me of spooky Iggy Pop. Despite these guys falling into my musical niche of bringing together both goth and metal, I have never really been that into them. I have checked out every album they have released since this blog started, but none of them clicked with me in a way that became part of my daily listening. Their singer's voice as always struck me as being the weak link as he lacks the power of a Peter Steele or Billy Idol.
As songwriters things click more with "Gotta Rock" which leans more into a new wave feel. I appreciate the side step into country music . His voice sounds better here, Still not belting it out, but what he does works for the song. The guitar is pretty impressive. "California" is kind of tone deaf in that the romanticizing of the state has not been a thing since the 90s. The party vibe is dead there and no one is doing coke they are all smoking weed. "Call Me Snake" sounds more like Fields of the Nephilim which I appreciate , and it combines the more driving guitars with vocal that take better command of the song. So far it's my favorite song on the album. Despite backing off on the rocking "Dying in the Night" works better and captures the 80s vibe in a more authentic manner.
When these guys write fillers the struggle to dial it in is tangible. However a second listen to "Something Real" warmed it up a little for me. Is it like ordering Sisters of Mercy from Wish? Yes. At least the chorus is not pandering for airplay. The guitars convey more of a Cult influence, which works , but the overall upbeat nature of the mood is not my thing. The last song is what you expect from these guys, over all a more polished and focused effort I will give it an 8, which feels more than generous , but I think they accomplished what they set out to do, though there is a big if in regards to this fitting on the current climate of radio play in Finland ,as I think despite how much we want to think of Scandinavia being a sacred ground of metal, the vapid nature of Tik Tok culture has penetrated their market as well.
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