Although this new album is Entwine’s sixth to date, it is the first time I have ever heard of these melodic goth rockers from Finland.
Entwine - Painstained
Obviously as soon as I hear they are from Finland I know I’m in for a musical treat as so many great rock bands have come from that snowy little country over the years; and bloody hell, I’m not the least bit disappointed either.
The album will be their first album to be granted an official release in the UK - so I guess that gives me a little bit of an excuse as to why I haven’t heard of them before they landed on my pile of CD’s! - and I’m sure their string of live dates are also going to go down a storm.
The only problem I have here is that I’m unable to compare their album to their earlier work, so bear with me here, and excuse the fact that I might say a few things you Goth’s might not agree with, lets hope for the best though yeah?
Despite starting off as your generic gothic bands, the guys have taken a far more mature approach to the genre with this album; utilising kick ass guitar riffs, heart-pounding drums and bass lines to make your belly get so many butterflies you border on being sick.
The opening track, Soul Sacrifice might take it's time getting you into the album (at just under five minutes long) but the introduction doesn't really set up for what's on offer from the rest of the album; the weird Egyptian synth could have been left back in the 1990's.
But anyway, after we get that out of the way, the rest of the album is pure delicious and I'm an instant fan; vocalist Mika Tauriainen has one of those gravel-ridden voices that I so long for from bands; and he isn't bad to look at either!
A lot of the songs on the album are more 'epic ballad' than generic rock song; which we have seen fellow rockers Shinedown adopt on their latest album too; and with many of the songs pushing four minutes; the guys have time to faff around making it sounds all pretty.
Songs like Beautifully Confined, Hollow, or Lost in Denial are destined to be songs that couples make their own 'our song' whilst the guys will ditch their birds for a foray into the pit on the likes of Dead By Silence; which looks set to be an instant crowd pleaser.
Rating:4/5 - Despite being a late Entwine ‘starter’ I’m definitely a fan.
Skip to:Hollow
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison