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Since Autumn 1999 Altti Vetelaïnen and
Petri Sankala were thinking of starting a gothic-oriented project
beside their main concern Eternal Tears Of Sorrow. They hoped that
Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish) and Lauri Tuohimaa (Embraze/Maple
Cross) would help them to realise this idea. But at that particular
time all musicians were too busy with their respective bands, so the
project was put aside for a while. But a few years later all
parties seemed to have some time off and the foundation of ‘For My
Pain’ could be completed. Also Olli-Pekka Törrö (Eternal Tears Of
Sorrow) and Juha Kylmänen (RefleXion) joined the band and the line
up was completed.
I would like to say that we can speak
of a super group because I’ve got CD’s at home from all those
bands. I even bought ‘Chaotic Beauty’ of Eternal Tears Of Sorrow’
only recently and I can reassure you it’s a fantastic CD, where
death metal parts go hand in hand with introvert piano pieces,
clavecin and violin. For My Pain is however pure gothic Finnish
style, no roaring grunts but warm clean vocals and very catchy
songs. Above all every track is filled with a melancholic feeling
and easy to listen to, all floating in a simple structure. We’re
not frightened by difficult rhythm changes, not forced to any
mathematics to understand the thrill of it all.
Singer Juha has a very warm, agreeable
voice that feels the right nuances in every track. By a subtile
deposit of keyboards songs like ‘Dancer In The Dark’ and ‘Broken
Days’ have a light tint, in contradiction to the lyrics, those are
autumnal brown. Guest vocaliste Miriam Renvag is restricted to some
backing vocals, in ‘Dancer In The Dark’ she’s allowed to sing some
solo lines, followed by a melodic guitar solo. The sensitive side
of the band is illustrated by ‘Queen Misery’ and ‘Bed Of Dead
Leaves’. Comparisons with Him cross my mind, more than once and
most clearly in the powerful ‘Broken Days’. After a few times
listening I must admit that the band writes fantastic songs. An
important trump is the yearning voice and the ear-flattering guitar
lines roaming through it. Although they have the name of a gothic
act, musically it sounds rather catchy. We can always have some
gloomy, melancholic seals that are mixed with their own opinions in
life. Now a guitar line, then a piano intro, suddenly an unexpected
bass line or a rhythm change announced by drummer Petri Sankala, it
all fits so smoothly into each other registered in the famous Tico
Tico Studios by Ahti Kortelainen while the mix was done at the
Finnvox Studios. After all I would like to draw your attention on
‘Autumn harmony’, with its cautious rock riffs and catchy chorus
spinning through my head every unexpected moment while doing other
things. We end in style with sadness and sorrow, consuming
‘Tomorrow is a closed gate’. The organ reminds me just for a moment
to ‘Feel’ of Alternative 4 of Anathema.
I
wouldn’t like to mention another list of comparable bands because
For My Pain is not just a copy of those; neither a group jumping on
a train wagon of the big gothic trendy exodus. They have talent
enough to make a difference. I expected this with such a line up,
I’m not disappointed at all, they truly deserve our attention.
Let’s hope for a live performance in our areas real soon! |
