Next In Line
blindeyefoundations

May 2005
Released: 2005, Independent
Rating: 3.0/5
Reviewer: Waspman

Finland’s Next in Line (NIL) is a new band to me. The formed in 2003 when guitarists Olli and Teemu decided to join forces in a band that didn’t play death metal or gothic rock as their previous bands did. They quickly managed to find other musicians to fill out the ranks and completed work on their first offereing, the EP BRANDNEWBURNINGPILE. Encouraged by the response, they began work on new material, culminating in the four songs on offer here, on BLINDEYEFOUNDATIONS.

After a number of listens to this disc, I can safely say that NIL play heavy music, rather than a particular genre of metal. There are snippets of rock, 80’s-styled metal, and some death metal vocals all tossed into the mix, but for the most part the band stays in a mid-paced rock style, going for catchy moreso than crushing. I must admit that none of the songs really stand out too much to me, though “The Palace”’s more brooding approach was effective.

I think that part of the problem here is the relatively powerless production of the disc. The guitars lack bite and despite the emotion in his voice, Henri Eerola’s vocals lack punch. Quite simply, the album has no forward drive. That said, NIL show definite promise here, and with some more maturation and practice (and better production!), they have the potential to be a force to be reckoned with. Time will tell.