My first reaction to this album was to hate it. I wanted
old vocalist Pasi Koskinsen back, and I was disappointed that the band seemed to
be taking a step backwards by returning to a more metal sound on several
tracks. But I have to admit, the band’s last two albums were kind of weak.
Maybe sometimes you really do have to go backwards to move ahead. Sure enough,
a few more listens and ‘Eclipse’ really started to grow on me. New vocalist
Tomi Joutsen is actually quite good. It just took me a while to get used to
him. Also, the death metal vocals of rhythm guitarist Tomi Koivusaari make
their return, which isn’t such a bad thing. I’d say the style falls somewhere
between the albums ‘Elegy’ and ‘Tuonela’, which in my opinion were the band’s
high water mark. The result is an album that might reclaim some of the
Amorphis’ original metal fan base, while at the same time having more than
enough progressive moments to satisfy fans of their more recent work. (Bob
Ignizio)
This is the third disc I’ve received from The
Barbarellatones, all within the span of about a year, I think. ‘Invasion of the
Surf Zombies’ appears to be a collection of sorts, including previously released
tracks from The Barbarellatones, Sex With Lurch, and Prancing Pony. Not sure if
there’s anything new here or not. As I’ve mentioned, this is my third
experience with this particular band, and while this seems to be a “best of” to
some degree, it still suffers from a fair amount of filler. Surfy glammy horror
punk with touches of psychedelia and exotica and deviant sexuality. In theory,
this should be just my cup of tea. I really want to like this band, but they
just ain’t clicking with me. Not bad, mind you, but far from great. (Bob
Ignizio)
This kind of sounds like Sonic Youth playing instrumentals
to me. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. In fact I kind of like
this EP. It’s probably not the most original thing I’ve heard, but it’s good
for what it is. Probably my biggest complaint is that its so short. I wouldn’t
have minded hearing a full album form Blue Velvet. If you’re into instrumental
rock that goes beyond the boundaries of Dick Dale and Link Wray, check this
out. (Bob Ignizio)
Bombshell – ‘To Hell With Motives’
(Indianola Records)
Blah. Another generic sounding modern hardcore/metalcore/screamo
type band. If you like most of the crap they play on ‘Headbanger’s Ball’
these days, you’ll probably like this, too. Personally I’m beyond sick of
this kind of stuff. (Bob Ignizio)
My first reaction to this album was to hate it. I wanted
old vocalist Pasi Koskinsen back, and I was disappointed that the band seemed to
be taking a step backwards by returning to a more metal sound on several
tracks. But I have to admit, the band’s last two albums were kind of weak.
Maybe sometimes you really do have to go backwards to move ahead. Sure enough,
a few more listens and ‘Eclipse’ really started to grow on me. New vocalist
Tomi Joutsen is actually quite good. It just took me a while to get used to
him. Also, the death metal vocals of rhythm guitarist Tomi Koivusaari make
their return, which isn’t such a bad thing. I’d say the style falls somewhere
between the albums ‘Elegy’ and ‘Tuonela’, which in my opinion were the band’s
high water mark. The result is an album that might reclaim some of the
Amorphis’ original metal fan base, while at the same time having more than
enough progressive moments to satisfy fans of their more recent work. (Bob
Ignizio)
This is the third disc I’ve received from The
Barbarellatones, all within the span of about a year, I think. ‘Invasion of the
Surf Zombies’ appears to be a collection of sorts, including previously released
tracks from The Barbarellatones, Sex With Lurch, and Prancing Pony. Not sure if
there’s anything new here or not. As I’ve mentioned, this is my third
experience with this particular band, and while this seems to be a “best of” to
some degree, it still suffers from a fair amount of filler. Surfy glammy horror
punk with touches of psychedelia and exotica and deviant sexuality. In theory,
this should be just my cup of tea. I really want to like this band, but they
just ain’t clicking with me. Not bad, mind you, but far from great. (Bob
Ignizio) 
This kind of sounds like Sonic Youth playing instrumentals
to me. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. In fact I kind of like
this EP. It’s probably not the most original thing I’ve heard, but it’s good
for what it is. Probably my biggest complaint is that its so short. I wouldn’t
have minded hearing a full album form Blue Velvet. If you’re into instrumental
rock that goes beyond the boundaries of Dick Dale and Link Wray, check this
out. (Bob Ignizio)
Blah. Another generic sounding modern hardcore/metalcore/screamo
type band. If you like most of the crap they play on ‘Headbanger’s Ball’
these days, you’ll probably like this, too. Personally I’m beyond sick of
this kind of stuff. (Bob Ignizio)