The 69 Eyes Back in Blood
by Derric Miller
Staff Writer
Blood is the new black, bitches … just ask The 69 Eyes. Finland’s hellions are back with a much less Glam/Pop driven outing this time around, heavier than their last killer release, Angels. You still get the glowering lower range vocals, the snarls and smirks, but musically, Back in Blood is grittier and throws more gravel than what you’ve heard before from The 69 Eyes.
The refrain you are going to keep echoing is from the opening song, “Back in Blood,” where the band reiterates “Back in blood, blood is the new black!” The riffs are more jagged than what you’ve come to expect; it’s almost like they are going the opposite direction of country mates H.I.M. Lead singer Jyrki 69 hits some shredding screams along with his usual guttural yet melodic delivery. They sound rejuvenated, and hungry …
Up next is “We Own the Night,” another song influenced by vampires. If you like The Cult, you are going to hear a ton of that band’s vibe in the opening musical passage. (Someday, someone is going to have to study why bands from Finland are so damn good.) Anyway … “We Own the Night” tones down the edgier vocals yet sonically, it’s still heavy and throbbing, definitely the kind of song that belongs in a rabid sex scene on True Blood.
“The Good, the Bad and the Undead” is their stadium anthem composition, like Megadeth’s “Crush ‘em.” Instead of getting artistic with tempo changes, The 69 Eyes have seemingly dialed it back to more of an AC/DC approach, just straight-ahead Hard Rock. You either like it, or you can eat dirt.
If you are looking for radio hits, “Kiss Me Undead” is one of those songs that could gain the band some momentum. Jyrki69 gets back to his smoother and sultry lower delivery, and the harmonies are richer, friendlier and accessible. Of course, yeah, more vampire songs, because how else can you get kissed “undead?”
Their first single and video (directed by Bam Margera) is “Dead Girls are Easy.” They go out of their way to explain the “easy dead girls” are merely “sleazy pin-ups,” but don’t think for a second that double entendre isn’t at work here. It wouldn’t be The 69 Eyes if they didn’t offend someone. The quirky porn-styled riffs really carry this song along, and the huge backing vocals during the chorus add a massive element as well. Bazie’s solo is one of the longest on the release, sort of sleazy and all metal. This is as high quality as “Back in Blood.”
When you listen to “Night Watch,” try not to hear Blue Oyster Cult’s “Burning for You.” It’s quite the homage …
“Hunger” is one of the slowest songs, something you could find on Angels. You don’t hear as many keys as you did on their prior release, but they flow here, playing a subtle partner to the emotional vocals. Just when you start embracing their harder-edged sound, they remind you why you were addicted to them in the first place.
Like a fairy tale Disney cartoon opening, Back in Blood ends with “Eternal.” After the opening organs, the song goes acoustic, just Jyrki69 and the guitar, and the keys slide into the narrative slowly as the song continues. While the first three-quarters of the album were all about getting their rage on, the ending certainly gives listeners a breather. “Out of the graves, only love will survive. Thicker than wine, deeper than time. We dance, to the dark delight …” Poetic, majestic, funereal and hypnotic, “Eternal” is the perfect way to close out this journey.
The 69 Eyes have taken a major step forward on Back in Blood. The mainstream needs to stop thinking of The 69 Eyes as an underground band and accept that this is about as good as Hard Rock gets today. Blood IS the new black, there is no doubt about it …
Label: The End Records
Track listing:
01. Back In Blood
02. We Own The Night
03. Dead N´ Gone
04. The Good , The Bad and The Undead
05. Kiss Me Undead
06. Lips Of Blood
07. Dead Girls Are Easy
08. Night Watch
09. Some Kind Of Magick
10. Hunger
11. Suspiria Snow White
12. Eternal
HRH Rating: 8.2/10