Poisonblack - Lyijy

Gothic Metal
Warner Music Finland
2013








1. Home Is Where The Sty Is
2. Down The Ashes Rain
3. The Flavor Of The Month
4. The Absentee
5. Maybe Life Is Not For Everyone
6. Death By The Blues
7. The Halfway Bar
8. Them Walls
9. Blackholehead
10. Pull The Trigger
11. Elaman Kevat

Poisonblack have been pretty much the model of consistency since their second album. Really, the first one was good too just considerably different vocally. At any rate, the band has been putting out excellent album after excellent album every 1 or 2 years without fail. Lyijy marks their 6th release and I expected nothing less than another great uptempo, rocking gothic metal album in the vein of Sentenced.

Well, my expectations are met and them some with Lyijy. This one hit me hard from the start and never really let go. The sound here is nothing particularly new for Poisonblack, but the material is extremely good with songs that are just loaded with hooks, an energetic pace, and lots of headbangable riffs. Poisonblack hasn't taken any big styistic leaps or gone for much experimentation in their career so far, but I'm also pretty fine with that. When Sentenced disbanded they really did leave a hole in my musical listening that needed filling. I had never heard a band with quite the same rocking approach to this sort of dark material/lyrics. Ville learned a trick or two in Sentenced though and has come to be a fine songwriter all his own. Poisonblack basically manage to come up with a sound that's recognizable as their own/from Sentenced while at the same time keeping the qualities that made Sentenced so great.

For those not well versed in Sentenced or Poisonblack the band basically takes on dark, depressing lyrical fare in typical goth form, but the music is considerably more headbangable and energetic than most. The material is not the sort of gothic fare that gets bogged down in atmosphere. There certainly is a good melodic flare and some slower moments, but in general the music has a straight up metal feel. The riffs have a bit of a hard rocking blues feel at times, but the songs are also distinctly metal in a way that defies sub-genres. Vocally, things are just slightly gruff, but with a lot of feeling. I don't think I could come up with an exact comparison, but Nick Holmes in Paradise Lost has sort of the same approach when he's a bit gruffer. Overall, between the vocals and no nonsense riffs that keep things moving I feel like this band just balances the gothic and metal aspects better than most.

Overall, this is just a really solid album. Every song from fist pumping opener Home Is Where The Sty Is to the beyond great ballad Maybe Life Is Not For Everyone is noteworthy. This is just an album that lacks a weak song. Sometimes it all comes down to a good songwriting session and this is a great one. This has got to be Poisonblack's best album to date.

Highlights: Home Is Where The Sty Is, Maybe Life Is Not For Everyone, The Halfway Bar, The Absentee, Elaman Kevat

Rating - 4.5/5