Category: Music

{mosimage}Norther is a Finnish band founded in 2000, with Petri Lindroos as vocalist (previously he sang in Ensiferum)

The band features their fifth album “N” after leaving Spinefarm and signing with Century Media, company with whom was released some months ago the EP No Way Back. This new N has stepped into the Finnish charts quite powerfully, reaching the number 5.

Previously in 2007 they were touring around Europe, including a gig in the German festival Wacken, and they have also seen their formation reinforced with the drummer Heikki Saari. The band has a more melodic sound that others like Turisas or Moonsorrow, and Lindroos can exhibit his excellent vocal skills. Back vocals are good in tracks like To Hell (that for some moments can remind you of Crematory), good guitar riffs and a consistently hammering drum, although my favorite song in the album is one of the “Softest” ones: If You Go.

Norther has been able to make a difference inside the huge Finnish metal panorama. A mature work of a band able to offer a wide amount of variety in their compositions. Pretty recommendable.

Rate 4/5.

{mosimage}The front man of Finnish band Maj Karma is in good company with the debut album of his new Project.

Mr. Ylppö, who apart from being the singer of Finnish successful metal band Maj Karma works also as graphic designer, gets surrounded by talented people in the first album of Herra Ylppö & Ihmiset: Iranian-Finnish  Hamid Moeini on the guitar, Jami Westergärd who is also a theatre actor on the bass, Jukka Kröger on the drums and Janne Halmkrona, the guitarist of CMX, as special guest.

The band is currently on tour around Finland, so you can have a taste of the project on live. The sound is not as powerful as Maj Karma´s one, but still you can find the special mysticism of Ylppö´s lyrics in the work. My favorite tracks is the homonymous to the album title, Sata Vuotta, and Kleopatra, where you can get totally caught by the special voice of Herra Ylppö, but some other songs are very interesting as well, as the one called Porno, raw, sexy and straight like if we would be listening Kotiteollisuus, and one of the “heaviest” of the record.

In my opinion, one of the best Finnish albums of the last months.

Rate 4/5.

{mosimage}Being barely 19 years old, Adele is one of the new sensations of the year, coming from South London.

Even at such a young age, Adele had already had time to work with Jim Abiss, Eg White or Mark Ronson, sign with the powerful XL Recordings company and support artists such as Jack Penate, Amos Lee and Devendra Banhart. After her debut album Hometown Glory, Adele features his first mainstream work: 19.

The first thing you have to notice after starting to listen to it is Adele´s incredible vocals skills. A power of nature that digs deep in your soul while listening to it. Neverthelss, as the artists recognizes, the album talks mainly about love, about a past relation with a bisexual boyfriend that could never be as good as she expected. Consequence of that is a melancholic tone that bathes every one of the 12 tracks. As my favourite ones, I would highlight Chasing Pavements, Tired or Hometown Glory.

Discover the wicked voice of Adele. I hope that being so young, she will follow the correct steps and do not get burnt in the difficult music industry. 19 will turn undoubtedly into one of the nicest surprises of 2008. 

Rate 5/5.

{mosimage}From Hamina comes Paganus, spreading their doom metal all over Finland. 

What do Hamina, a small population in Finland, and Jerusalem, the capital or Israel, have in common? Well…at least one doom metal band called Paganus. The 5 members of the Finnish band entered the studio in 2006 to record their first album, with only 4 tracks but almost 50 minutes length, since a couple of tracks are over 11 minutes and the final one Stab runs for more than 16 minutes, and seems that they did not find much support from their native record labels (doom is not so popular genre in Finland) so they released finally with TotalRust Music, an Israelian label.

The band is composed by Manu Liira on the guitar, Teemu Muhli on the bass, Tomi Pekkola as drummer, Mikko Nenonen helping with the noise and Markus Lanki on the vocals.If you like other doom bands like Burning Witch or Neurosis, this kind of sound will ring a bell in your head. For the rest, maybe it can be too extreme. In any case, the work still smells like a young band that has a long way to mature, and more amount of tracks in future albums without abusing of running time would be more than welcome, otherwise the album gets to be too monotonous. 

Rate 2/5.

{mosimage}A classic heavy metal style for a new band coming from Tampere. 

When the Empire Falls is a relatively new band that exploded during the last year 2007 when they won a contest for new bands that allowed them to play at Provinssirock festival in Seinäjoki. After releasing The Blood in Your Hands, the band strikes back soon again in the beginning of 2008 with their homonymous album When the Empire Falls. Lyrics in English for a project started by 2 friends: guitar players Rami Jämsä and Markus Härkönen.

For being almost a debutant band, the work is compact and mature, and surprises me the excellent skills on the vocals of Tommi Tahuanpää. Apart from that, the guys from Tampere have got a great chance to promote themselves with the opportunity of playing with the “hottest metal band in Finland nowadays”: the Euro-Teräsbetoni, in 2 gigs in Turku and Tampere. Nice classic metal tracks like When the Empire Falls, Sinner or Judgment Awaits  with powerful drums backing up the vocals, but once again the band will face the same problem: there are dozens of bands of the same style appearing in the Finnish market every year, and it is becoming very difficult to give the big step and jump from small clubs to bigger arenas.

In any case, When the Empire Falls seems to have the energy, the talent and the youth to get it, so keep a close eye on them! 

Rate: 3/5.

{mosimage}André Matos, ex vocalist of Angra, introduce us his first solo album. 

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razilian singer Andre Matos has undoubtedly one of the most privileged voices in the international heavy metal scene. Due to him was the great success around the world of his previous band, Angra, and the marvelous albums Holy Land and Angels Cry.Seems by the title that Matos was missing more freedom for creating the music he really wants, so nothing better like making his first solo album to show the world that he has reached the maturity as musician to take care of a whole project.

Together with him, the Mariutti brothers (ex members of Shaman where Matos also belonged) and produced by the legendary Roy Z and Sascha Paeth. We are talking about big names in the metal scene here, so that can give an idea of the ambition poured into this project. A great piano intro in Menuett that leads to a varied amount of great metal songs: from the exuberance of Rio to the balanced calm in Face the End, every song matches perfectly in a puzzle that finally gets transformed in a little piece of art of the heavy metal genre.

If you liked previous Matos ´work, surely you are going to love Time to Be Free.

Rate 4/5.  

{mosimage}It must feel funny to release your first solo album when you are 52, but once The Jayhawks disbanded after 20 years on the road, singer, songwriter and guitar player Gary Louris decided to step up and release his first solo album. (Actually, I’m writing this review on the singer’s 53rd birthday).

The last time The Jayhawks played in Finland was at Tavastia in 2004. There presented their last album, Rainy Day Music, a mostly acoustic album, that combined the best of traditional American roots music, from The Band to Crosby, Still, Nash & Young to Gram Parsons, spiced up with that characteristic pop sensibility of Louris’ compositions.

In Vagabonds, Gary Louris continues the same path: timeless American music. For producing the album, he recruited long time friend and Black Crowes’ singer Chris Robinson. The result is a laid back album with lots of acoustic guitar, pedal steel and typical songwriting and singing from Louris.

With the input of Chris Robinson, the songs some of the songs are decorated with a touch of psychedelic sounds (especially in I Wanna Get High) and an interesting gospel choir, The Laurel Canyon Family Choir, that includes among others Robinson himself, Jenny Lewis and Susanna Hoffs (yes, the same one of The Bangles).

The title track, Vagabonds, is probably the most outstanding tune. It’s a classic Louris composition as perfect as Blue or Waiting for the Sun can be.

This album might not top The Jayhawks legacy. But that’s not an easy task at all since The Jayhawks’ discography is one of the most perfect a band has made in the last twenty years. Still Vagabonds is beautiful, remarkable and relevant.

Rating 4/5 

{mosimage}Lennosta kii! is a joint venture between singer Johanna Iivanainen and saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen (and his band), that makes jazz versions of Finnish pop and rock classics.

A daring concept, since many of these songs are classics of Finnish popular music and making jazz versions of them could easily mean watering them down, but this album is made with certain confidence. No wonder: the same team made a record, called Suomalainen and having a similar concept, couple of years ago.

From a technical point of view, this is a fantastic record. Iivanainen is certainly a talented and versatile singer, and the musicians handle their jobs very well. It sounds like these people don’t just perform the music, they are living it.

In its own genre Lennosta kii! truly must be a triumphant success: this is evident from the carefully constructed arrangements and soulful performances. However, I found myself – not being much of a jazz freak – thinking this is too clean, too perfect, too devoid of mistakes, to really genuinely touch me. Of course, not every kind of music must sound like it was made a amateur punk rock band, but at times this sounds too much like music aimed at coffee tables to have a serious impact.

Anyhow, for jazz enthusiastic and all open-minded music lovers in general, Lennosta kii! is certainly worth checking out.

Rate 3/5

{mosimage}New Finnish bands are rarely as interesting as Eleanoora Rosenholm (yes, despite the name this is a band, not a solo artist).

First, it is sort of Finnish alternative rock super group, the members being known from such bands as Lowlife Rock’n’roll Philosophers, Magyar Posse, Circle and Kuusumun Profeetta. Second, the fictional story behind the band (involving a serial killer called Eleanoora Rosenholm) is quite fascinating. And third, the music is very good.

Eleanoora Roosenholm’s leftfield synthpop is weird enough to be interesting for those who don’t care for mainstream music, but pop enough to suit those who do. The atmosphere is morbid yet treacherously captivating, just like in a good horror movie. With all the lyrics about murders and something-that-is-not-specified being wrong, Vainajan muotokuva (“portrait of the deceased”) is a somewhat brooding record, but in a good way.

Right from the album opener Musta ruusu, it is clear that Eleanoora Rosenholm may be playing pop music, but very different from your usual chart pop. Tracks like Ovet ja huoneet and Kodinrakennusohjeet are brilliant examples of melodic, easily accessible pop music with a sinister twist. The two instrumentals on the record also work out well in creating the atmosphere. Kiltti vai tuhma? is, in its innocence, catchiness and pop sensibility, somewhat different from the rest of the album, but that only makes the record interesting.

A bloodcurdling debut album from a band that certainly is quite unique in the current Finnish rock music scene. I truly hope we’ll be hearing a lot from them in the future.

Rate 4/5

{mosimage}The Finnish metal band The Scourger offers you 11 tracks of ferocious trash metal ready to rip your head clean off. 

Finland is better known for their gothic and power metal bands, but there is space for a wide range in the healthy Finnish metal scene. A good proof is the new work of The Scourger: Dark Invitation to Armaggedon, that turns to be one of the best surprises in European thrash music scene during the last months.

Jari Hurskainen (former Gandalf singer) is powerful and hammering in the vocals, and the good lyrics are supported by the crazy drumming of Seppo Tarvainen. This is their second studio album, and the first single: Never Bury the Hatchet, has worked very well in the Finnish charts. After having toured in 2007 with Impaled Nazarene and having appeared in the soundtrack of the Finnish movie V2: Frozen Angel, the band faces new challenges as their appearance in the Finnish Metal Expo in February, an excellent event to take the pulse of the Finnish metal industry.

A special mention for the excellent cover artwork by Joe Petagno, an internationally well known cover designer who has done previous stuff for people like Motörhead, Alice Cooper or Pink Floyd. A work that linking the concepts of the Armageddon and the devil turns, from my humble point of view, into one of the best metal covers that I have ever seen. A classy touch and stylish design for the Finnish guys ´album, that becomes an excellent and mature introduction for a work that confirms them as the freshest and most powerful alternative in the Finnish trash metal scene. Let´s see what future brings them . If you like Trash, pretty recommendable. If not, better stick to other more classic Finnish metal bands.

Rate 4/5.

{mosimage}The Finnish freaky instrumental rock quintet is back with their third studio album. Groovy sounds with a rocking approach that will make move your feet!

Grave Groove is the third studio album from the crazy party Finnish bastards, as they have been baptized in some international media, The Mutants. Nonetheless, they music is difficult to get constrained to categorization: it sounds like garage rock with African touches here and there and a certain feeling of Series B movie in the air while listening to it. In any case, better judge yourself!The point is that the rhythms are catchy.

Vocals are non-existent in most of the album, although they count in some parts with the guest appearance of Nadi Hammouda, but there are not missed while listening to the album. Songs like Outerspace Odyssey will undoubtedly get into your mind and remain there the rest of the day. Guitars riffs are catchy and sensual, and all transmits a feeling of good old rock played in a dessert beach in some point of the Caribe. “Latino spirit” is also very present in the album, if not, pay attention to the titles of the songs:  El Matador del Diablo or CMC Carlos Muchas Cervezas, although you do not get surprised if you see that some members of the band have nicknames such as El Toro or Juan Emperor.

If you want to listen something fresh, a bit of space rock mixed in an explosive cocktail with mambo to move your hips, explore the sound of The Mutants. For me, the album is one of the nicest surprises of the beginning of 2008.

Rate 4/5

{mosimage}Dutch musician Arjen Anthony Lucassen assembles a great metal opera in this double CD that counts with very special guests from the heavy metal scene.

Not a long time ago we reviewed in FREE! Magazine the awaited third part of Avantasia, and in the same line now is the turn of another of the best metal operas released in the last years: the new Ayreon ´s  CD (6th conceptual   album in total) with a title encrypted in a binary code:  O1011001.

After 10 years of the release of Into the Electric Castle, Lucassen  reaffirms that he still has a lot of creativity to show the world. And in the same way that in the Scarecrow, the list of participants involved in the project is also astonishing:  Tom S. Englund, Hansi Kursch (for whom I feel a special weakness, being a great Blind Guardian fan since my teenage years), Anneke van Giersbergen, Steve Lee or Jonas Renske are some of the big names that are lending their musical skills to the project.  

A musical tour de force where different metal styles get mixes in a harmonic way. It seems that the trend nowadays in the industry is developing towards eclecticism. A decade ago musicians were not so eager to experiment, having the feat of losing the fidelity of their audience, but it is coming a time in metal when it looks that the key to surviving is just to be able to not to stick to one single and defined style. Enjoy with exceptional pieces like River of Time or The Sixt Exctintion, where all the singers lend their voices. A must have for the lovers of good conceptual and epic metal.

Rating  5/5.

{mosimage}The Hell-sinki vampires want your blood again, and strike back with a live album recorded at the Whisky a Go Go club. 

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irectly from Sunset Boulevard, here comes the awaited first live album of Hell-sinki gothic band The 69 Eyes: Hollywood Kills. Recorded in the legendary Californian club Go Go Club the 24th of March, 2006, during their American tour, with all the tickets sold out, The 69 Eyes appear here as a mature band that is enjoying the best time of their career, able to put a great show together, with a solid discography and the support of a huge legion of fans not only in Finland but worldwide. The fame of the band has been helped by the charisma of the singer Jyrki 69 (a voice that sounds like Elvis embedded in a gothic style body!)  together with the irreverent looks of drummer Jussi 69.

The album counts with 16 tracks plus an introduction by Ban Margera, not missing any of the songs that the fans would dream about:  hits like Lost Boys, Brandon Lee or Gothic Girl, with sharp lyrics where they never lose opportunity to promote once more their love for women (specially blondes) and rock stars attitude that have been perfectly captured in the pictures inside the booklet, taken by acclaimed rock photographer Ville Akseli, who published last year also a book: Route 69, with these and others pics taken while traveling with the band around U.S.A.An album that comes in a perfect timing for the band after having worked hard and taken risks to succeed in the international market.

The 69 Eyes is about Booze, explosive girls and dangerous rock. The vampires are coming to suck the blood of your daughters, so be sure the doors are well closed during this (ugly) Finnish winter!

Rating 4/5.