The 69 Eyes
X

September 2012
Released: 2012, Nuclear Blast
Rating: 2.5/5
Reviewer: Metal-Rules.com UK Team

This is the 10th album by Finnish gothic rock/metallers The 69 Eyes, since their debut way back in 1989. The length of their career will surprise many who are only familiar with their post-glam era ‘gothic’ period from album 5 album onwards. In that time they have produced club hits such as ‘Gothic Girl’ (from 2000 album ‘Blessed Be’) and ‘Feel Berlin’ (from 2004 release ‘Devils’).



Being a fan of the gothic side of The 69 Eyes, my favourite song is predictably ‘I Love the Darkness in You’, with its Hammond organ keyboard, cheesy gothic cliché lyrics ‘She’s in parties with the flashlights, She’s got cemetery eyes’. Definitely still milking the success of ‘Gothic Girl’ somewhat, expect to hear it in nightclubs, especially on the continent. ‘Black’ is lyrically vying for the gothic dollar/euro/pound lyrically but does not succeed musically, being a standard rock number.



X follows The 69 Eyes’ recent trend in moving away from gothic rock, towards more rock’n’roll tinged with their older glam sound. Being a fan of their gothic rock albums I enjoyed this album less than I could have, however, fans of the ‘Eyes will still enjoy this album.



Their trademark goth rock sound is still there, especially in Jyrki’s voice and is most prominent in ‘Tonight’, ‘I Love the Darkness in You’ and ‘Last Summer’. ‘Borderline’ is a Jonny Cash style bluesy number, followed by the glam-gospel ‘I’m Ready’. For a band which can sound samey at times, there is a lot of variation here.



Review by Victoria Fenbane