Angels of goth!
Finland is well known for producing highly polished and talented metal acts from all labels and sub genres, and has made its mark on the musical world with such acts as HIM, Nightwish, Sonata Arctica and The Rasmus. But in the shadow of these bands there are others flying the flag for the country that often do not get noticed or are little known about and The 69 Eyes are one such band, a band who seem to be little more then whisper in the UK and this is a terrible injustice. The 69 Eyes are a band that has all the sultry glitter of glam rock, the doom and gloom of post apocalyptic rock and a little helping of romantic gothic metal thrown in. The sound is seedy, sexual and sensuous, dirty and oozing the very essence of rock and roll. It is in a class of its own, the closest the sound compares to is HIM, but, what HIM do The 69 Eyes do ten times better and with style; every track oozing with vampiric sexiness and seductive smoothness.
The album starts off with 'Angels', a sultry gothic number with a highly singable appeal. The track would not be far from at home on a vampire movie soundtrack with the organ backdrop ringing through the demonic and seductive serenade of guitar riffs and the crooning of the vocals. The track has all the thunder of classic rock with an odd flicker of the black romantics of gothic metal thrown in when you least expect it, complimenting the overall post-apocalyptic doom and gloom of the atmosphere. The very essence of the track drips blood, sex and rock 'n roll from every pore of its sound and provides a perfect opening to this tribute to early glitter rock.
'Ghost' sees a haunting guest appearance from four piece cello band Apocalyptica, providing the perfect string accompaniment to a gothic power ballad that romances the soul with its silvery tones, creeping up on the soul and chilling it like frost chokes a rose in winter. A fantastic cello solo perfectly compliments the ethereal and mournful rhythms of the chorus, a perfect example of how The 69 Eyes can easily pull off the romantic side of metal and do it with so much more feeling and theatrical skill then their better known Finnish comrades HIM, making them the far superior alternative.
'Wings and Hearts' has a more classic, glam appeal with the structures of the melody and vampiric crooning reminiscent of Alice Cooper's 'Poison' and the style of early Black Sabbath. With a wintry, melancholic guitar led intro, the seductive rhythms pave the way for a sultry but yet catchy anthem that gets stuck in your head and seduces the mind and soul until you can't help but sing anymore. The sound is decadent and indulgent, packed full of charged solos, Type O Negative-esque choruses of poison riffs and delicate organ backdrops and gruff but oddly sexy vocals: you can't help but want to get sucked further into their world of rock, booze and tight leather pants because it's appeal is made all the more tempting by their music.
'Angels' is definite proof that rock still has all the glamour and sex appeal that it did in the 80's and that once again Finland hold the title for providing classic, high quality heavy metal. The 69 Eyes definitely deserve to have all the recognition that their other better known comrades have and 'Angels' will undoubtedly earn them that.