Artist: The 69 Eyes
Title: West End
Genre: Rock / Goth
Release Date: 13th September 2019
Label: Nuclear Blast
Album Review
“We’re the band that time forgot. We’re the band that refuses to die. We’re the Helsinki Vampires.” The 69 Eyes
But time didn’t forget THE 69 EYES, it will be the band’s 30th anniversary this year and the “Helsinki Vampires” found the perfect gift for their fans and themselves: ‘West End’! The new album will be released on September 13 2019 (Yes, it’s a Friday….) and you can already pre-order it. THE 69 EYES made an album that shows the skills of every single band-member and all their musical styles and influences. Starting their career during the Goth-hype in the early 2000’s with lots of synths (‘Wasting The Dawn’, ‘Paris Kills’), they developed their sound to Sleaze Rock (‘Angels’, ‘Devils’) and instead of recycling their sound they developed album by album.
THE 69 EYES constantly toured Europe and also covered the USA, Asia and Australia, winning over a large dedicated fan base. ‘West End’ seems to be the result of all these years on the road and suits their “Five guys, their instruments and amplifiers” attitude perfectly. The recent US tour proved that in times where many bands start using pyro and special effects, you can sell out venues with a down to earth show and very good music, while facing your audience instead of losing touch with them.
Bells and organ chords greet you, then bass, drums and heavy guitars join in. ‘Two Horns Up’ is the perfect choice to introduce the new album and get the Goth‘n’Roll Party started. Whom would you invite to a good Horror party? THE 69 EYES asked the “Duke Of Spookiness” (WEDNESDAY 13 himself), one of the most hellish front men in the business, Dani Filth (CRADLE OF FILTH) and Alice Cooper’s daughter and BEASTÖ BLANCÖ’s vocalist Calico Cooper to join the fun. If you know THE 69 EYES live gigs, you can already imagine the “Helsinki Vampires” opening their show with ‘Two Horns Up’ instead of ‘Devils’ and the song is a worthy heir.
‘27 & Done’ follows suit, a bit less hammering but still up-tempo it is perfect to keep the party going on. A decadent hymn celebrating life on the one hand and paying tribute to the “27 Club” and reminding you of the deadly side of all the Hollywood glamour. ‘Black Orchid’ is an up-tempo Goth track; the story takes place in Singapore and the vocalist is addressing an unknown female called “Black Orchid” who is seducing all the men. This song reminds you a bit of the bands style in the early 2000’s with strong synths and a dark choir as a chorus and voices from the off.
‘Change’ is a mid-tempo song, letting you catch some breath in the chill-out area of the party venue but don’t worry, you won’t doze off, Bazie’s fantastic guitar solo will wake you up. ‘Change’ gets you in a perfect Goth mood, with all the stuff happening around you in this world and evokes the question, who will be there when it breaks comes down. Wake up! Join the Horror party: ‘Burn Witch Burn’ is a black fairy-tale and open to interpretation. It can be seen as the band’s comment on people’s attitude towards social media or as a black-fantasy-story. One way or the other, it makes you think about “What happened to freedom and liberty?”
‘Cheyenna’ was released as the second single with a really cool video. Somehow I caught myself thinking “Someone must have been listening to TYPE O NEGATIVE for a while when writing the song”. A beautiful biker bride with a nice Harley Davidson on the road - a female ghost rider - and the wind’s whispering her name, while she’s riding the endless roads of eternity. ‘The last House on the Left’ shows a face, THE 69 EYES didn’t show for a while: Punk! Welcome back! Strong riffing greets you at the entrance of ‘The Last House on the Left’ and the “Duke of Spookiness” (WEDNESDAY13) himself addresses you. It’s a homage to the first Wes Craven movie. The three guest vocalists join in step by step, the final is a blast and perfect for the upcoming Halloween season.
From Punk back to the roots: Goth! ‘Death & Desire’ invites you, to cool down from your previous Punk performance and addresses dark side of your soul. When I heard ‘Outsiders’ for the first time, I thought THE 69 EYES had made a tongue-in-cheek song about themselves a bit but could also be a hymn of people who never want to grow old and change their life. The guitar riffs and Jussi69’s significant up-tempo drumming style give you the perfect beat from the very beginning and at the same time gets your ready for the final part of the album.
‘Be Here Now’ caught my attention even before I started listening to the song because, in an interview with Headbanger’s Lifestyle several years ago, Jyrki69 said: “Be here now! I am really happy and thrilled I have the chance to discover this motto and finally understanding it. It takes a while and hopefully everybody discovers it at some point in life.” Although the music sounds a bit exotic and dramatic, you should listen to the chorus. Every party has to come to an end. ‘Hell Has No Mercy’. The vocalist addressing an unknown person, reflecting on what happened in the past and the effects on the present, leaving plenty of space for interpretation and the listener in a perfect Goth mood.
You want to continue the party? You’re lucky. THE 69 EYES will be on tour, soon. The album gets a “Two Horns Up” rating.
Tracklist
01. Two Horns Up
02. 27 & Done
03. Black Orchid
04. Change
05. Burn Witch Burn
06. Cheyenna
07. The Last House On The Left
08. Death & Desire
09. Outsiders
10. Be Here Now
11. Hell Has No Mercy
Line-up
Jyrki69 - Vocals
Bazie - Lead guitar
Timo-Timo - Guitar
Archzie - Bass
Jussi69 - Drums
Website
www.69eyes.com / www.facebook.com/the69eyes
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 10
Total: 10 / 10
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