the 69 Eyes : "Death of Darkness"

 

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.

Gothtober -The 69 Eyes : "West End"

They love goth in Finland. Been sitting on this album for a couple weeks waiting for this month to review it. It opens with a more driving metal feel. It is like Judas Priest meets Sisters of Mercy in places. These guys keep getting better at what they do as this song has a wider dynamic range. When you really pay attention to the singer you can hear where he sounds more like Iggy Pop than Andrew Eldritch. The lyrics are on th silly overtly rock n roll side. It is ok on "27 and Done" . If they stay this silly by the end of the album I am sure it will be to irk me. The album is really well produced. At times they play it too safe and stick a little too close to the formula. Sometimes all they need to do is slightly shift the tension on a song like "Change" and it works.

By the time we get to "Cheyenna" it begins to feel like many of these songs could have been filler from a Billy Idol album. Heavier riff going into "the Last House on the Left". He sings in an even lower voice that breaks him out of the Iggy Pop voice as well as a grittier higher voice that also helps to break things up. The keyboard are a little awkward on this on.the Keyboards  play a larger role that makes more sense on "Death & Desire" , though this song is more like a melodramatic ballad. It is safe to say this is not the album's strongest song. I am sure there is a teenage girl who needs medication somewhere in Finland that loves this. Or a 40 year old women who still thinks like a teenager who does.

They have this real cock rock side that we need to talk about. It is offset by the baritone vocals. This flares up on "the Outsiders". The prophecy is fulfilled here and the dumb lyrics have finally grated on me. The psychedelic edge to "Be Here Now " works much better. Sometimes I do not feel it's the lyrics that bug me as much as the phrasing. I have always found his vocals to be their weak spot and while he has improved over the years it is still my complaint. "Hell Has No Mercy" comes close to being another ballad, but it feels much better than the first one. I will give this one an 8.5, it's an improvement and one of the first albums by these guys I have given more than a couple listens.