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Events, Reviews

The 69 Eyes are “Back In Blood” in the New York Groove

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While I cannot claim to have supported The 69 Eyes since their humble beginnings some twenty years ago, I have to say that I have been a fan for more than three quarters of the time that I have been a Metal Media adventurer and photographer. I began my own support of the band with their seminal release “Blessed Be” and have continued on with each consecutive album all the way up until their latest studio recording “Angels” which was released in 2007. They released the tour for that album with the live “Hollywood Kills” recording and around this time we also saw their entire back catalog being delivered by Cleopatra Records. This fact allowed many of the fans of the band to catch up to what they might have been missing or holding back from purchasing based on pricy imports. The band is now signed in the USA to The End Records, a label that has already given us the Monster Madness of Lordi, the Symphonic Gothic Virgin Black and the ever unpredictable Unexpect, so I am sure that great things are at the ready for our favorite Goth Rockers. The band was back in the New York Groove to celebrate this new signing and to treat both media allies and fans alike to an advance listening of their latest release entitled “Back In Blood”. The advance press emails about the album lined out that the band was planning on delivering their heaviest and darkest album to date and moving steadily away from the Hollywood Glam vibe that they had recently adopted. I was afforded a little more time with the guys before the listening and bring those who might have missed the event the full scoop.

Logo - The 69 Eyes

I caught up with Jyrki 69 and Bazie along with some of their record company people in a comfortable Thai restaurant on 2nd avenue and about 12th street. “Thai On Two” I believe it was called. The food was good and while you might be wondering what these day walking vampires might have dined upon, I will leave that to your own imagination and just tell you that I personally can recommend the chicken pad Thai. After some catching up and fine food I learned that the other guys, Timo-Timo and Jussi 69 were somewhere down on St. Mark’s Place shopping and causing the tourists heads to turn while bassist Archzie was not in town for the fun. We wandered down second avenue catching the curious eye of passerby who wondered just who they were seeing and sparking some excitement in the fans of the Gothic Rockers who recognized them.

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Jyrki 69 in NYC

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Music, Reviews

“Hollywood Kills” by The 69 Eyes

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Artist: The 69 Eyes
Title: “Hollywood Kills”
Label: EMI Music
Release Date: 7/22/2008
Genre: Gothic Hard Rock
Rating: 4/5

In 2004 The 69 Eyes would release the album “Devils” and this one held special significance to their budding stateside fan base for a number of reasons. You see, not only was this the first album that they were able to purchase as a domestic release but it was also the album that found the band on tour in this region for the first time in their seventeen year existence. If you were one of the lucky people who caught one or two or perhaps even three of these gigs you will clearly remember them as special because the group played like a band afire each and every night by covering choice tracks from “Devils” and a wide assortment of their long established classics from the back catalog. To the US fans, most of these songs were new to their ears unless they had ordered the higher priced imports of their albums from abroad or done the unthinkable and downloaded them illegally. Whatever the case may have been, the band performed to capacity crowds during the length of this tour and now the final night that was recorded for posterity can be enjoyed by a larger audience with “Hollywood Kills – Live at the Whisky a Go-Go”. The evening kicks off with an introduction by Bam Margera, a man who has been behind the band for a number of years and if he could help HIM why couldn’t the same magic happen for The 69 Eyes. The band jumps right into the opening number of their album “Devils” which is of course the song that bears the same name and from there it is on. The recording quality is top notch and you hear every instrument rather well along with singer Jyrki’s deep and dark voice. From there the band switches back and forth it seems between new track and classic number from their other albums. The larger focus of tracks comes from the absolutely killer “Blessed Be” while a couple of others hail from “Paris Kills”. They do go back a few years earlier to 1997 with “Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams”, a tune that comes from the album bearing the same name. I am starting to notice a trend with these guys as they periodically have a song that is on the album that is also the name of the album.
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Music, Reviews

“Devils” (reissue) by The 69 Eyes

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Artist: The 69 Eyes
Title: “Devils” (reissue)
Label: Caroline Records
Release Date: 3/28/2008
Genre: Gothic Hard Rock
Rating: 4/5

A couple of years ago the US Region of Gothic Hard Rock fans got their first official taste of The 69 Eyes when the bands album “Devils” became the first official domestic release. Of course with the Internet the cult legions of the Helsinki Vampires had probably owned a copy or two of their other albums by this time but when 456 Entertainment first delivered the band to our shores the excitement became much higher. By the next release the band had moved over to Caroline Records and gave us “Angels” as well as two more tours. 2008 would find Caroline owning the “Devils” release and re-issuing it with some bonus tracks. Given our thoughts on the album have remained the same we are revisiting our copy below and then will add a few closing thoughts to tie it all together.
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Music, Reviews

“Angels/Devils” by The 69 Eyes

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Artist: The 69 Eyes
Title: “Angels/Devils”
Label: Caroline Records
Release Date: 11/6/2007
Genre: Gothic Hard Rock
Rating: 4/5

They might have missed the chance to fill your Halloween goodie bag with this one but just the same Caroline Records has issued a Special Edition 2CD/DVD set for those Helsinki Vampires The 69 Eyes; it’s a release that will make any Gothic Hard Rock fan blush until there is once again some color in their cheeks. Entitled “Angels/Devils”, the release features the entire “Angels” and “Devils” albums that the band had delivered to their fans over the last couple of years. “Angels” bears no difference to the original but “Devils” adds a couple of bonus tracks to enjoy. Given the similarity to the original albums we are re-printing many of our initial thoughts on the release.
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Features, Interviews

PiercingMetal Talks To Jyrki 69 of The 69 Eyes (6/20/2007)

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I might have been a latecomer to the tunes of The 69 Eyes, but since that time I have made up for it and managed to catch every appearance that the guys do when they come into town. I’ve spoken with the bands charismatic front man a number of times as well and with each meeting find him to be one of the most engaging and interesting purveyors of the Gothic Hard Rock & Roll scene. We met up with Jyrki 69 on his tour bus this time and found the singer just getting back from the local comic book store and from CD shopping. He is a big fan of that sort of activity and its fun to realize our musical heroes have the same hobbies as many of us. It was summer and found the band on tour with Wednesday 13 as their direct support. Check out the full conversation below.

Logo - The 69 Eyes

This will be the third time that I have gotten to see The 69 Eyes perform in NYC and what began as a Bowery Ballroom appearance turned into a tour with Cradle Of Filth and then a return headlining engagement at one of the new Rock venues in the Big Apple. Three gigs in just over two and a half years is not a bad way to bring the fans up to speed on your music especially if you are one of those bands who does not get to come over to this region as often as you would have liked. I first met lead singer Jyrki 69 when the band was delivering “Devils” to the US for the first time and since then all of the bands back catalog had been released here as well as a new release entitled “Angels”. It’s always fun to talk to him as he is interested in so many cool things and while I would have liked a little more time to do this the bands day was running late so we were instructed to keep it simple and quick. Based on this, I pretty much just talked to him off the top of my head. Our entire brief conversation is documented below.

Jyrki 69: It’s always good to be back in New York, the streets to kill.

PiercingMetal: You and I met about two years ago not too far from this same location and now you are back but when we talked that first time it was the first time that The 69 Eyes had ever been into town, what do you recall about that first time around and this is even though you came back afterwards.

Jyrki 69: Well it was like really nice because it was the venue where I had seen Monster Magnet some years before which I think I mentioned then and it was thrilling for us to be playing there ourselves. So it was almost like coming home because there were a lot of friends from over the years as well as a lot of new people as well. There were also a lot of strangers who seemed to accept and adapt to The 69 Eyes. So in many ways it was like, and I think I might have told you this last time as well, that for many years New York has been our mental home and our source of inspiration as far as bands, atmosphere and streets to kill with those clubs that date back to the late eighties and early nineties.
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