I’m not sure if guitarist/song writer Anton Kabanen somewhere inside feels like he’s in competition with his old band Battle Beast or if he doesn’t give a rat which band’s the biggest but judging by Beast In Black’s two previous records – Berserker (2017) and From Hell With Love (2019) – BIB sure has given Battle Beast a run for their money, especially as the latter’s last effort No More Hollywood Endings (2019) wasn’t overly convincing and BIB’s both records were really damn good. Well, be that as it may, BIB has just recently released this, their third effort, a few months before Battle Beast will unleash their return. The question is, will Beast In Black be able to maintain the high quality of their last two albums with this one?
Opener “Blade Runner” is an uptempo, fast and heavy number with in-your-face melodies and rhythms where Heavy Metal meets Synth-pop. Firey and electrifying, the song brings out the band’s inner Judas Priest and Accept and adds a glossy keyboard and pop melodies. It’s a catchy as hell and striking as a kidney-punch that would be perfect as a live-opener. “Bella Donna” is 80’s chart-pop in a metal-suit – upbeat, heavy and ballsy with a distinct danceable rhythm. The edgy riffage and punchy drums blends just fine with all the pop-hooks and a chorus that could go a long way in the Eurovision Song Contest. It’s infectious enough for me to raise my thumbs.
Pop meets Metal in the uptempo rocker “Highway To Mars” where slick synths are just as important as heavy guitars and rough-edged bass and drums. The song holds a foot-stomping, dance-inviting groove, slick melody-hooks and a poppy chorus but it also makes you wanna go bananas with your fist up in the air. Yeah, I dig this. Latest single “Hardcore” is so hit-flirtatious it almost hurts. The song is carried by a bouncy beat, quite disco-laden and very upbeat – this could have filled any dance floor back in the 80’s. It’s also quite heavy with ballsy guitars. It’s a crowd-pleaser with a hooky, sing-along friendly chorus, ridiculously catchy. Fact is, verse or chorus, everything here catches on. It’s so cheesy it’s impossible not to love.
Second single “One Night In Tokyo” take things even further. This one’s a real 80’s synth-pop alert albeit with a Hard Rock rhythm, metal-edged guitars and an intense vocal-outlook. Oompha-oompha Euro-disco meets Metal. But why be half-arsed when you’ve decided to go there, they thought and added electronic drums and more blipping synths to the mix. Again, this is too cheesy and sugary to not adore and it’s so damn unpretentious and embracing I have to surrender. Besides the chorus is dynamite, so catchy you have to be deaf not to sing along with a smile.
Lead-off single “Midnight Rendezvous” keeps the band put at the discotheque in the 80’s. While still being metal-heads the band blends the tune with both Pop and Disco, lots of prominent synthesizers and ddrums. It’s upbeat while altering between uptempo and mid-tempo. It’s rhythmic, foot-stomping, hooky, the melodies are direct and effective and the chorus is Hard Rock Eurovision catchy and the whole thing just screams “HIT”. And again, I can’t help but to dig it. “Revengeance Machine” is way more classic Heavy Metal – fast, heavy and aggressive and in-your-face but also very melodic. On top of the rowdy and punchy bottom lies a chorus that brings back the synth-vibes, big hooks and an 80’s sounding synth. Good one.
“Dark New World” is, well, dark actually. It’s heavy, punchy and hard yet there is something uplifting with it. Maybe it’s the direct vocal-melodies. Or the Maiden-like riff? Well, the song isn’t bad by any means but it doesn’t come with same striking catchiness as the previous songs. It’s ok, though. A Van Halen-like riff takes “To The Last Drop Of Blood” to an uptempo pace with a pop-rhythmic beat before the verse comes in a bit more low-key and mellow. The tune holds a slower pace on a heavier outlook where heavy guitars and big keyboards become bedmates. The chorus is infectious and effective and really lights a fuse which is the song’s saving grace as the verses really doesn’t make a lasting impression.
Also slower in tempo is “Broken Survivors”, a more structured number on a beefy beat. It’s heavy with a chunk of darkness resting over it. It holds some drama over it which gives the tune a cinematic – as in sci-fi – touch. The slick, pop-chunky vocal melodies and the catchiness of the chorus is splendid. A song of contrasts at times. Yeah, I like it. The ballad “My Dystopia” opens with an orchestrated keyboard orchestration, very subtle, and it holds some mellow moments but it’s also quite heavy within its big soundscape. It’s also somewhat symphonic with big layers of keyboards and big guitars. There are also passage-breaks that goes into musical-theatre territory with a majestic chorus on top. A nice breather and a very good song.
As always Beast In Black provides us with a couple of covers. The first one is Manowar’s “Battle Hymn”, a brilliant song originally. BIB’s version is really good and stays true to the original mostly but ads more keyboards to the overall picture. This version couldn’t hold a candle to the original but feck, I dig it anyway. The other one is Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us”. I was never a huge fan of the original and even though they have Beast In Black:ed the tune, it’s really kinda lukewarm. It’s fat, it’s heavied up and it holds a groove but I could really do without it, to be honest.
I can’t help but to love this lot. These guys are so non pretentious, they just take what they love and throws it out there and if people think it’s too slick, geeky or cheesy, then fuck ’em. That being said, this album do has both its ups and downs. The ups are first of all, the songs. Well most of them anyway. The first seven tracks are so damn good they could have landed the album a 10/10. Then a couple of fillers comes in and ruins that 10 – and the Jackson-cover certainly doesn’t help. Also, the production is a bit too stale and sterile with that compressed sound that’s so popular now. This production is made for phones and other devices and not for a CD player or vinyl. Also, I must admit that while singer Yannis Papadopoulos has a strong voice and wide range he also has a tendency to be a bit one-sided and shout-y which kinda annoys me. Other than that, this is a album full of should-be hits and an album I’ll keep playing for a long time beyond.
7/10
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