‘It’s a funeral we are going to’.
When the sun goes down in Helsinki, the twilight envelopes the city like a velvet shroud, out of which emerges one of my favourite Goth bands, The 69 Eyes, I first came across these nyctophiles in an episode of Viva La Bam and was completely enamoured by the whole look, the sound and attitude, and now I venture into the ‘Death of Darkness’ with their new album.
Press play and you get Jyrki’s deep, baritone voice headed in your direction…. sigh …swoon… like the deepest of oceans you dive in of you own volition, not fearing where it may lead.
We celebrate the ‘Death Of Darkness’ a smooth and silky number, harking back to the classic sounds, there is more nostalgia in ‘Drive’ which reminds me, in essence, of ‘The Passenger’ speeding along through the darkness, cruising underneath the moonlight.
Swathes of black on black allow for a glossy veneer, scratch the surface and the darkness erupts, cascading over you, lustrous, warm and all encompassing.
We get the aura of Bonnie and Clyde with a guest appearance by Kat Von D, on ‘This Murder Takes Two’ kind of a country feel with the guitar, meek yet murderous.
The videos are aesthetically pleasing, all vampiric, leather, sleek like a panther, complemented by snowy scenery, a fast car and a night time detour all in glorious Technicolour.
An opulent mix brought to you by Jyrki 69 on vocals, Bazie – guitars/backing vocals,
Timo – Timo on guitar, Archzie on bass and Jussi 69 on drums, making waves in a Gothic landscape, I just love the whole flow of the album, you don’t want to skip tracks, leave it to play and let it soothe your soul. The songs furtively sneak up on you, wrap their smooth, slender tendrils around your person, accommodating and comforting. The nuanced delivery of ‘Dying In The Night’ is full of Gothic intensity and allure, quite rapturous really. We finish with ‘Outlaws’ a slower number, with that distinctive low pitch, glides effortlessly to complete this record.
A moody and memorable encounter with your favourite lords of darkness, time to adorn yourself in black, and strut about town with our crepuscular cousins, preying, nay, praying the night never ends.
Azra Pathan
The 69 Eyes – Death Of Darkness out 21st April via Atomic Fire Records