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August 29, 2008 |
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TWILIGHTNING - Swinelords
Spinefarm (2007) |
5/10 |
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01. Isolation Shell
02. Swinelord
03. Reflection Of The Cuckoo
04. Vice Jesus
05. Pimps, Witches, Thieves & Bitches
06. The Gun
07. Not A Word
08. Consume Gap
09. With The Flow
10. Wounded & Withdrawn
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TWILIGHTNING's debut, "Delirium Veil", which was released in 2003, received positive reviews from the Metal Media as the band seemed to offer a special brand of "happy" Power Metal in a way similar to SONATA ARCTICA. The casualness with which the band members appeared to perform each song almost made fans forget how incredibly talented and technically skilled they were. Their second album, "Plague-House Puppet Show", was made available one year later and obtained more mixed feedback as the group seemed to slightly switch musical direction by going toward a more old school approach and closer to what used to be produced in the 80's; but in my opinion it still contained some really interesting material. With their new (and third) opus, "Swinelords", one could wonder what TWILIGHTNING's new material would sound like, and I was quite anxious to find out.
With the opening track, "Isolation Shell", it's apparent that the band's skill level is still flawless, just confirming the theory that musicians from Finland were all born with a musical instrument attached to them! Singer H.M.I. Poyhia still sounds like DREAM THEATER's James Labrie. The guitar solos on tracks such as "Reflection Of The Cuckoo" or "Pimps, Witches, Thieves & Bitches" will impress the connoisseurs. Unfortunately the level of creativity this time around doesn't keep up with everything else. When it comes down to melodies, the previously recorded material displayed a freshness, promising a lot of good things for future albums. Sadly there is not much left of it on this disc. A couple of interesting tracks like "Vice Jesus", the acoustic "Not A Word" and the closing track, "Wounded & Withdrawn", will not alter the fact that this album is boring overall. The band just seemed more eager to explore the roots of Heavy Metal even further than on their previous CD, almost totally leaving the Power Metal influences behind them.
Within the last few years, Spinefarm, including its sub-labels such as Spikefarm or Ranch, has grown to be one of the most prolific Metal factories of the old world by discovering and then promoting some of the most influential recent artists in the genre such as CHILDREN OF BODOM, ENSIFERUM along with MOONSORROW and NIGHTWISH. The label consequently became a certificate of warranty for quality and talent convincing lots of fans, including myself, that anything they released should be purchased, no questions asked whatsoever. Lately however, as a result of their growth and signing more artists, Spinefarm appears to have somehow lowered its standards. With the exception of the latest release from NOUMENA, the year 2007 hasn't lived up to everyone's expectations. Hopefully not all is lost and FINNTROLL's new album will help to restore some of the old prestige.
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