MUSTAN KUUN LAPSET „Suruntuoja”

I recently got this as a bonus with a major order of new CDs. I have not been familiar with the band previously and do not have a lot of background info at this time. So what is it then? It's melodic dark metal, very reminiscent of Cradle Of Filth with a harsher edge. There is significantly less stress on the keyboards, which are (thankfully) almost inaudible as such and serve as a good addition in this case. The vocals are almost uncanny in their similarity to Dani Filth's but without the cheesy hysteria that puts me off most of Cradle records. Instrumentally speaking though, I should point out the drums. I find them to be very tight without sounding triggered. The beats are to the point and complement the music nicely.

The compositions are solid enough but not remarkable. I can't really tell you which track really stands out, and I have just listened to the whole record three times in succession. This to me is the weakness of this album. It just isn't memorable enough despite the fact that *when* you play it, it sounds good. There just isn't enough originality and feeling present here; I am a sucker for originality. As I said it sounds good….but the 'Been there, done that, got the T-shirt' feeling is always present. I have no comment on the lyrics since these are in Finnish and well…you get the point.

In the end…fine but not nearly remarkable. Certainly better than hundreds of copy cat bands that have been spwaned recently. For the genre this record finds itself in I would say it's a 7.5, for the general public no more than a 6.5.

note: 7/10