Artist: The 69 Eyes Title: “Helsinki Vampires” Label: Cleopatra Records Release Date: 9/19/2006 Genre: Gothic Rock & Roll Rating: 4/5
Fans of The 69 Eyes can rejoice as the music and video of this great Gothic Hard Rock group is now available thanks to the folks at Cleopatra Records. This DVD was originally released in 2003 from a show recorded in the Tavatasia Club in their native Finland back in 2002. The concert footage performance includes a healthy dose of the bands best tunes up until the time of the filming. Given it’s a club appearance the best effects one sees is the dramatic lighting or different camera angles. There is nothing really in the way of outrageous stage setups or designs but you do get a rocking set from “The Helsinki Vampires” back home among their die hard fans and this is never bad for a concert piece. From starting tune to encore lead singer Jyrki 69 is in great form and style as he delivers the music to perfection. He is one of those enigmatic front men that make watching a band all the more fun and along with guitarist Timo Timo and drummer Jussi, he leads the charge of Goth & Roll greatness. While the production is limited to great sound and clear visuals this DVD will impress any who watch it and it’s sure to help the bands cause by generating some additional interest in them. Before the deal with Cleopatra Records the only release that has been domestically available was their latest album “Devils”. This is a band that rocks and has a very accessible style which has allowed them to build up an audience in parts of the world where finding their music is more often than not a truly difficult undertaking. This DVD also includes all of the bands video clips and several other interesting features guaranteed to please the children of the night. Continue reading “Helsinki Vampires” by The 69 Eyes→
Artist: The 69 Eyes Title: “Framed In Blood: The Very Blessed Of The 69 Eyes” Label: Cleopatra Records Release Date: 8/29/2006 Genre: Gothic Hard Rock Rating: 4.5/5
The 69 Eyes or the “Helsinki Vampires” as their fans know them best bring you a career spanning Greatest Hits with “Framed In Blood: The Very Blessed Of The 69 Eyes”. It is a nice collection of tracks from across their existence and offers a good look inside to the band for those that might be unaware or serve as a tasty sampler for those ardent fans. The Finnish group has a large following in Europe, but have only begun to make some ground in the US Market since 2005 and what this album does well is bring you back to the very early Glam-era stuff and leads you up until their harder edged Gothic sound that is the focus of the band today. The solid 18 track best-of has a number of great moments and you will find that singer Jyrki 69 definitely has a style that comes more rooted in older Rock and Roll than that of Metal (his vocals at times are very reminiscent of both Jim Morrison and Peter Steele). The deep, resonant tone shakes you up at times and yet is full of cryptic fire at others. Some stand out numbers are on this CD are “Brandon Lee”, “Gothic Girl” and “Wasting The Dawn” all of which are among my favorites from their catalog. New potential fans need only look into these tracks for it can easily make you a follower of their often hypnotic sound. There are some similarities to The Cult on tracks like “Crashing High” and “Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams” but I felt that was more due to the guitar groove used than an actual copy of that bands style. The group also delivers an interesting take on the Blondie classic “Call Me” which is not an exact re-do which makes it a little more fun to listen to in this incarnation. Continue reading “Framed In Blood: The Very Blessed Of The 69 Eyes” by The 69 Eyes→
Artist: Various Artists Title: “Back Against The Wall” Label: Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra Release Date: 9/13/2005 Genre: Progressive Rock Rating: 8/10
One of my all-time favorite albums in the music collection is most definitely Pink Floyd’s epic release “The Wall”. Twenty-five years after its initial release the music sounds as fresh and as innovative as ever. Roger Waters truly had created a masterpiece with his band mates David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason. Musically and lyrically profound this albums impact still resonates today and is revered in the minds of many great musical artisans. To celebrate this impact some of these greats in Progressive and Hard Rock joined forces and performed a song for song representation that not only stays true to the original but also offers a glimpse into their own style as well. The result is extraordinary and very enjoyable. Similar to the great masterpiece itself the best way to listen to this CD is from beginning to end as one ends up doing when they try to merely sample “The Wall” release. You gain so much more from absorbing it in this manner than by simply playing the radio hits. Continue reading “Back Against The Wall” by Various Artists→
Artist: Gemini 5 Title: “Babylon Rockets” Label: Cleopatra Records Release Date: 6/21/2005 Genre: Hard Rock Rating: 7.5
On Gemini Five’s CD package they are listed as something that fans of the Backyard Babies or Hanoi Rocks would enjoy, but I don’t agree with that at all. This is by no means a detraction from the fine rock and roll that they deliver on the CD as the band clearly has some hooks and there is a lot of fun stuff happening in the music. Yet while enjoyable I have to say there is a level of difference between them and the references. Would fans of Babies and Hanoi like them? Most likely yes but only as something new to try. The second tune of the CD “TwentyFourSeven” really should have been the opening track, as the hook caught me more than I thought it would. From there they caught me off guard by doing a rocking cover of the dance pop hit “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)”. This track by Dead Or Alive was totally unexpected to find on a Pop Metal/Hard Rock CD and really was done to some positive effect. Continue reading “Babylon Rockets” by Gemini Five→
