Gothtober- Hanging Garden - "I Am Become"

Goth metal is a term that makes you think of either Type O Negative or something like Theater of Tragedy. There are a few shades lighter and darker than are romantic or elegant enough to warrant that title. This gloomy band from Helsinki has returned to create some sounds that come closer to the Theater of Tragedy side of the coin. Finland seems to be the breeding ground for goth inflected metal. So these guys might be named after a Cure song , but they are less flowery than most. I suppose an ex-death metal band who now mainly works with melody like November's Doom might be a good reference point, as they do lapse back into the death metal vocals, though are more often more melodic than not when doing so. With zero fan fire they bust into the opening song. "Hearthfire" has more drive than the opener. The guitars sound better than anyone the previous recordings I have heard from these guys. The verse starts off with a low spoken vocal that trades off for a growl. Cleaner guitars lead into the melodically sung "Elysium" . The vocals have a similar tone to the clean vocal style employed by Opeth or Enslaved. The growled vocals join in soon enough and add some muscle to the sound.

"Our Dark Design" has an interesting blend of sounds like is actually original while falling into what might be thought of as goth metal. When I just let this album play it sometimes becomes hard to tell one song from another as there is a formula to their dynamics that finds them retracing their sonic footprints back to the similar places. The uses of the synth sounds that imitate more bass like tones provide a darkness that is one of the albums strengths as those are my favorite places. Even when on a song like "Kouta" it makes them sound more like a metallic Depeche Mode. They continue to also go to interesting places with the use of effects on the guitar. This album is excellently produced.There is a more straight forward metal to "From Iron Shores" even with the sung vocals that don't invoke metal.

Considering their name I hoped "One Hundred Years " was a cover of the Cure song. It's another interesting blend of atmosphere and aggression. While it's melancholy and not driven by double bass I would not really call it doom. "Forty One Breaths" doesn't really strike me as being compelling as the other songs and is more middle of the road metal.There is an interesting groove that opens the last song. As far as metal goes the drummer is more of a pocket player than trying to bulldoze you with thundering fills. The big chorus makes me think of something Devin Towensend might do in his more melodic excursions. I'll round this one up to a 9 as it has impressed me much more than their previous releases and has a few really outstanding songs, though none are shabby, only one struck me as filler.This is being released on Lifeforce Records.

Gothober - Virgin In Veil : "Twisted Thrills"

Starting off Gothtober with some death rock from Helsinki Finland. I often bring up the fact taht certain regions seem to be more vibrant in terms of the vibrational frequency of the kind of music that seems to be fervent there, some noted examples would be Seattle/grunge, Norway/ black metal and Tampa/ death metal. The point being is goth or goth tinged music in varied degrees seems to come out of this region. These guys are however a mixed bag in terms of song writing. I prefer when they catch a slinkier more dynamic groove like they do on the second song rather than the more straight forward punk paced songs that seem to be the more common formula in place here. "Bed Room Eyes" at least as some catchier accents in it's chant. These guys used keyboards and have some atmosphere so it's not a total punk thing happening.

They slow it back down for "Another Shattered Dream". It's these moments where you can hear the most Christian Death in what they do. The singer doesn't have the greatest voice , but does have a Rozz Williams like whine, though only of a fraction of the personality in it. He needs to go off his meds or shoot some more dope for me to believe him. The two songs after this both sound the same, as they bang them out at the same snotty tempo. They briefly let "Cat of Nine Tails" breathe. The more atmospheric "Memories" is cool even though it feels more like an interlude rather than a song . It works off a whispered chant and is disjointed. It doesn't go anywhere , but is a cool dip into experimentation that they need to incorporate more into their song writing process.

While it's always hard for me to argue against the cool death rock guitar sound, as it's to my ears the perfect combination of effects for a non-metal guitar tone, a awesome guitar sound doesn't make a song. It does along with the proper tension on "Gallows" help balance what might other wise be lets just dial in some punk and call it death rock styled song writing. The bass really needs to be up in the mix. I think that is this album's biggest problem. I think death rock needs to have bass that is dirtier sounding than the Cure or Bauhaus as that along with the sleazy attitude is what sets it apart from goth. With this in mind "Torments" is the guitar stealing the show, but without much support from any one but the drummer. This is better than some of the second string versions of Bellicose Minds that I have heard trying to pass themselves off as Death rock, so I'll round it up to a 6.5 so it's not wowing me.

Shape of Despair : " Monotony Fields"

These guys have not come out of nowhere as they have played in bands like Finntroll, Impaled Nazerene and Clouds, this Finnish band has taken the past fifteen years to perfect their very melodic and atmospheric brand of doom . They are rather impressive and this is one of the funereal doom albums that I have been missing out on this year since it came out back in June. The vocals are a low gurgle, with what sounds to be sung female oohing  and aahing in the background. The title track that follows up the eerie opening stays on a similar depressing path. The synths are thick and almost overpowering the guitars , but it all somehow manages to mix. Their is a more melodic melancholy to "Descending Inner Light" . Not that the other stuff isn't melodic , they just step it up with real singing taking over mid way into the song. There is a slight turn into a more Cure like introspection with the intro to " the Distant Dream of Life". The growled vocals are really the heaviest thing on this song as the synths and clean guitar tone cancel out the chugged guitar. The sung vocals slide in smoothly. The vocals remind me a little of Jesu here.

"Withdrawn" carries forth the melodious mourning, almost to the point that if it was not for the hesitation in the drums and the tone of the growls they would fall into more of a dark or gothic metal category instead of funereal doom. They ride the line , but soar fading storm clouds in so doing. The Type o Negative influence is evident in the chorus of backing vocals, though I have yet to hear any low Sisters of Mercy vocals. "In Longing " is the first song to fall out of the previous song and sound more like an extension of it than opening with it's own identity.The swelling intro drones out into the bleak heavens. You can say that they are bi-polar, but like real depression the dynamics of a song like " The Blank Journey" emulate the mood swings that come with a mental illness, soft relaxed keys coast in the morning light before the growls come in and everything swell's into a more emotional high and then dips back down into it's depressed place. The Jesu comparison comes back in the picture as the song rides the gentle crest of the wave in an almost shoe gaze like drone.

The album closes with "Written in My Scars" which finds the growled vocals taking control of the song and a heavier under current overall even when the more melodic singing soars in from overhead. I feel this song fits a little more neatly into the casket of funereal doom. The oppressive feeling is more tangible. The guitar has more weight on this one as well though it might be a slight variation in the mix. The band is aware they have been notorious for putting long spans of time between releases, so everything is right where it should be with every nuance dialed in, so it was not time wasted. I'll round this up to a 10, it might not dig as deep and dark of a grave as other funeral bands , but the songs are masterfully varied and dynamic , it's an awesome album.

Up From the Underground: Rock Masters Band's "Hit the City"/ "Diamonds" single

Rock Masters Band have nothing to with the Rock Band video game, instead they are a super group of sorts from Finland. The Finnish are no strangers to rock. Finland is in the  the Scandinavian trifecta more known for metal, but with the amount of drinking they do it has made rock music is one of Finland's biggest exports. An impressive array of rock bands hailing from their shores  Nightwish, H.I.M,  Apocalyptica, Rapture, Lordi, and our favorites  Beast Milk.  They are more upbeat and lack to the gloom of the countries other exports.

The Helsinki based band formed in 2007 and features members from the bands Species and Spiha. They already have a couple of albums under their belt, are taking an approach becoming increasingly popular with artists who are faced with the Pirate Bay generation, recording a song or two at a time. In the case of Rock Masters they are using this to serve them creatively. Bringing in a fresh batch of musicians to back them and different producer with each session, to explore other perspectives to approaching their songs and discovering new sounds.

The singer's more T-rex like tenor owes more to their country men in Hanoi Rocks that the  glam fixation some of Finland’s other exports like H.I.M, and 69 Eyes have taken in more melodramatic direction, making this sound rather stripped down in comparison. This is not to say the song is not heavily layered by guitar, some take a more casual Stones saunter others blaze out soloing with their foot on the monitor. The second song is much heavier. The vocals flex their elastic pipes on the chorus. From a song writing perspective it's wham bam thank you mam, the songs are both three and a half minutes , but it's a fine testament to their song writing prowess that they are able to marry both memorable melodies.

Rock Masters occupies a unique place in today’s musical landscape that has been vacant for some time. They are not the first band to touch on wave of post-David Bowie British Glam that came out of England in the 70s, they are just the only ones currently having a go at it. Bands in the 90’s ranging from Space Hog to Shudder to Think brushed shoulders with the sound left in the wake of Marc Bolan. Artists more often swing for the fences and attempt to use Pro-tools to achieve the grandiose layers that Queen was able to pull of without the benefit of such studio tricks, but Rock Masters goes for a much more stripped down and organic sound. 

From the more Rolling Stones like swagger of "Hit the City" to the more gaudy androgyny of "Diamonds" the band doesn't really wear their influences on their sleeves as they have been assimilated into the DNA of a sound that is familiar , yet very much their own. This is not retro stoner rock, but a celebration of rock n roll no matter the era they are paying tribute to. You are drawn in. Despite the chorus to "Diamonds" having a hook that digs a little deeper into you than "Hit the City", but both songs are worth checking out below if you are a fan of 70s glam along the lines of T-Rex, Mott the Hoople and Sweet.

Catching Up With 2013- Silent Scream : "Public Execution"

The Helsinki trio released their second album in September , so we aren't too far behind on this one. They reach back into the pre-industrial era of post-punk. The album opens with a tribal pounding that's as post-apocalyptic as it is post-punk. The vocals take on angry chant like the Swans first few albums. These guys are dark and angry enough for me, which is a task considering the depressive vacuum that is my soul and all the angsty sounds it takes to fill it on a regular basis.

"Rotten Days" finds a more Killing Joke like drive to the jagged guitar attack. The vocals militantly howl  and the keyboards, provide a surreal under coating . There an angular quality to "Last Living Witness" that reminds me of  Pornography" era Cure.

If we are counting black straw here I think album will appeal to fans of both industrial and death rock, there are even touches of New Wave on "Spirit Invocation"? I really like how the vocals have a great deal of variety tackling each song with a different flair rather than just doing an Ian Curtis impersonation. Not too say there are no shadows of Joy Division, they creep in on "Haunted".  One of the albums more "goth" moments comes from "Nine Black Sunrises" which has saxes bleating desperately in the background.

The angry early industrial march gets rallied on "Skull Faced Child". While I appreciate these more abrasive moments, this band has a good ear for melody and songwriting that these more mechanical drones don't allow for their talents to be fully realized. "The New European Sun" is a better balance of the two elements, serving equal portions of melody with crunch, despite the vocals rallying cries on the verses.

Bassist players are often the most crucial component , and theirs proves his worth on "Dying Dreams" which pulls of a Bauhaus like thump. The punk in post-punk is accented on "Revenant", which is one of the albums more straight forward songs. "Meat" doesn't let up on the punk attitude the previous song started, here it reminds me a little of Crass.

The less straight forward moments I can see growing on me and perhaps the punkier ones will as well so I will round this up to a 9 because I like the fact this bands paints in different colors of dark to capture the elements of a few sub genres.