Conceived in Finland in 1989, dark rockers THE 69 EYES have come a long way and shaped the genre of ‘Goth ‘n’ Roll’ like no other. With several platinum selling albums like ‘Blessed Be’ and ‘Paris Kills’ released around the millennium, the quintet not only reached #1 of the single and album charts in their home country of Finland, but also plunged the world into their sinful cosmos of love, death and eternal melancholy, outliving any other band emerging from the goth hype of the early 2000s. By developing their sound further into sleaze rock on ‘Devils’ (2004) and ‘Angels’ (2007) and not shying away from pitch black Elvis allusions in singer Jyrki 69’s majestic dark voice and unique dance moves on stage, the band established their worldwide following by relentlessly touring Europe, America, Asia and Australia.
This year marks their 30th band anniversary but the band aren’t slowing down yet as they have now announced their new studio piece ‘West End’ that will be released on Friday, the 13th of September via Nuclear Blast. This 12th full-length record, featuring top-notch guest vocalists such as Cradle Of Filth‘s Dani Filth, Wednesday 13 and Beastö Blancö’s Calico Cooper, consists of 11 up-tempo rock anthems full of heaviness, black memento mori moments and dark humour and sees the band dancing in the ruins of our world:
“The title ‘West End‘ evokes a dark image – when something dies, something new comes up and we all have to change in order to stay alive”, singer Jyrki 69 explains. “I feel like this planet is on some turning point. The end of the western world is near and the question is: What is happening when the west ends..? The title has multiple meanings for us… but be assured it has definitely nothing to do with The Pet Shop Boys or London…”
As first taster for the new album, THE 69 EYES reveals the music video directed by Los Angeles-based Vicente Cordero (3 Teeth, “Room 37- The Mysterious Death of Johnny Thunders” movie) for their new single ’27 & Done’. The clip features excerpts from the horror film ‘The 27 Club’ by Cleopatra Entertainment which will be out on June 13, 2019.
“The track deals with the idea of Hollywood and everyone coming there to make their dreams come true, but it’s very seldom that they succeed and this is something you can see there everywhere”, Jyrki 69 contemplates. “It’s a place that makes you desperate and I wanted to get these dark vibes into the song. But on the other hand the track is also a celebration of life – we should be excited to be here and everybody’s a legend and they should realise that we should enjoy what we do instead of worry what other people think.”
Watch the new music video ’27 & Done’ here:
The pre-order for the physical and digital editions of the album will start soon.
But of course, there’s even more to come – because what would a 30-year-anniversary celebration be without the announcement of a huge European tour? After having returned to the United States this spring for their first tour there in ten years, the Helsinki Vampires will also haunt Europe on these dates:
THE 69 EYES – West End Tour 2019
02.11. D Leipzig – Moritzbastei
03.11. D Berlin – SO36
05.11. D Hamburg – Logo
06.11. D Cologne – Essigfabrik
07.11. D Stuttgart – Wizemann Club
08.11. D Munich – Backstage (Halle)
09.11. CZ Prague – Meat Factory
11.11. PL Wroclaw – Stary Klasztor
12.11. HU Budapest – Barba Negra
13.11. SK Bratislava – Atelier Babylon
14.11. AT Vienna – Chelsea
16.11. IT Parma – Campus Music Industry
17.11. CH Pratteln – Z7
19.11. D Trier – Mergener Hof
20.11. F Paris – Backstage by the Mill
21.11. UK London – The Garage
23.11. D Oberhausen – Kulttempel
24.11. D Frankfurt – Zoom
In addition to these dates, the band will also play several shows in Finland with more to be announced soon:
25.05. FIN Lahti – Club Chicago
02.06. CZ Pilsen – Metalfest Open Air
08.06. FIN Jämsä – HD International Rally
09.06. FIN Hyvinkää – Rockfest
26.07. FIN Oulu – Qstock
18. – 20.07. FIN Laukaa – John Smith Rock Festival
27.07. FIN Kuopio – Kuopiorock
03.08. FIN Karvia – Karvia-päivät
30.08. FIN Helsinki – Nosturi
General pre-sale starts today (exclusive pre-sale for Germany via Eventim; general on sale for Germany starts on Monday at 12 CEST).