This Is My World
1. Fight Fear With Fire
2. Rush Of Life
3. Hollow
4. Man Who Was Me
5. Dream Of Crown
6. Failed One
7. Banished
8. My Only Sin
9. Credulous Soul
10. Took My Will To Feel
“This Is My World”
by Antti Mattila, Soundi Magazine (Finland)
On their stunning second album “This Is My World” DYECREST rocks you, shocks you and makes your fingers bleed on the fretboard of an imaginary guitar you end up soloing with before the nearest mirror. But it was too damn close this brilliant album remained banished for all eternity. After the well received debut album “The Way Of Pain“ and successful European tour with W.A.S.P. and DragonForce the future seemed rosy for rising Finnish heavy metal stars DYECREST. The European audiences had just experienced this hungry young band letting loose their furious and skilful presence on stages across the continent. Then things started to roll rapidly downhill. The ludicrous record company hassle culminated with big boys’ money saving operation and DYECREST got shot down from a certain rise to fame. That one they could handle because offers from other record labels came flying in but, more alarmingly, it started to seem that changes in the line up would be necessary. Problems with vocalist Janne Oksanen occurred and things got to a point where DYECREST, always eager to get to the next level, had to give him marching orders after the most difficult decision of their careers.
Never the ones to give in DYECREST became even more determined. It took thousands of curse words, hundreds of beers and many hours in the hottest possible sauna with a couple of dead serious conversations at their practise room before they were ready to go on. And the solution was lurking behind the corner. Kimmo Blom, an old friend of the band, best known from his backing vocal acrobatics on Stratovarius and Thunderstone albums, was asked to audition and from the very first moment Kimmo started to sing, the band were hitting the nail again. They had negotiated a deal with Dockyard1 and the first thing Kimmo had to do was to get ready for the recordings of the second DYECREST assault.
“It was a step towards the unknown which hopefully creates some freshness to the songs on the album. There are remarkably good spirits in the band right now, I have been able to throw in ideas from day one. On the other hand I have been learning a lot because the musical concept is precisely thought over”, explains Kimmo.
It’s a worn out cliché to say that on the new album the heavy parts are heavier and the soft parts even more peaceful and serene but with “This Is My World” it needs to be stated. DYECREST operates on a larger scale now than on the debut album.
“The songs are more mature this time around and although they are not necessarily simpler from a playing point of view, all the unnecessary bits and pieces have been cut away. It’s more to the point, basically. On European tour we had more fun playing the songs that have more rough edge to them and our attitude mirrored to the audience as well. Of course it gave a huge boost to the new album”, Niko points out.
“This Is My World” is a combination of modern heavy metal (Lars Ulrich would use the word ‘pounding’ in here!) and chameleon-like vocals which bring in mind the best parts of the eighties hard and heavy rock. Stand out tracks like the album opener ‘Fight Fear With Fire’ with it’s pulsating heaviness and ‘Rush Of Life’ with its shamelessly poppy elements and catchy chorus which starts to hammer in the head instantly are the proofs of DYECREST‘s ability to update their sound. ‘Dream Of Crown’ makes you believe it’s one of those muddy half-ballads, until Pirkka Ohlis screams in agony and the song gets a whole new approach. ‘Took My Will To Feel’ shows DYECREST at their most vulnerable state of mind. This naked ballad was born in the studio with Blom‘s capability of creating memorable melodies on the spot. But when Henri Arola, or ‘Arola- The Artist’ as the rest of the band calls him, bursts into a soloing mode you better take a seat and enjoy. Colourful solos fly like fireworks up in the dim sky and eerie harmonies leave you gasping for air. And before you even notice, Arola has taken off on another trip on his personal Milky Way.
All guns blazing, as always!
Line Up: Kimmo Blom: vocals – Pirkka Ohlis: guitar – Henri Arola: guitar – Matti Pasanen: guitar – Jukka Matilainen: bass – Niko Takala: drums