The 69 Eyes Album: “Blessed Be”

The 69 eyes have managed to put together a CD full of melancholy, sadness but also black irony. The band's move towards the darker side of life in general is truly being felt in the keyboard induced atmosphere of the entire album. The lead singer, Jyrki69, has a deliciously deep voice, coming close to Andrew Eldritch's, yet more melodious. Against the background of pure gothic sounds mixed with beautiful keyboard melodies rendered by Bazie and Timo-Timo at the guitars, Archzie at the bass and Jussi69 at the drums, the songs give out a dark feeling of inspired sadness.

Don't even think you've heard it all once you've listened to the song Gothic Girl. While it gives an idea of the feel of the album, the whole thing is much darker and the lyrics have a tendency to verge on the morbid. Well, it is gothic after all.

The 69 eyes were known, before this album (and the previous Wasting the Dawn) as a rather sleazy rock band. The album Wasting the Dawn which came out in 1999 gave a glimpse of Blessed Be and of what the band was capable of. With the help of famous producer Johnny Lee Michael, they experimented with keyboard and melodies and it worked very well. Yet the gothic boys have not forgotten their rocker past and we get gleams of this on the latest album with the songs 30 and Framed in blood. More to the point though, the mix between the two styles is felt perfectly on Velvet Touch, my personal favourite, where both soft and hard sounds can be heard with a touch of disturbingly beautiful lyrics and melody. The song Heaven/Hell is also an example of the transition which the band seems to have experienced over the last two records.

Much more serious than anything before Wasting the Dawn and much more gothic than anything they've ever made, Blessed Be is something which the band is right to be proud of. Rarely have I seen an album which suits so well the attitude and looks of a band. Look at a picture of them and you will see what you should expect from the record.

Hard to find? Yes but long live the internet where you can order anything. Worth the search? Every minute of it. This is a must have and not only for lil' gothic boys and girls.

Hi Folks.

I am a uk guy who happend to see this lot before i bought the music. I was in Finland for Ruisrock Festival and by the end of their set i was walking away singing to myself two tracks off the devils album they were promoting. Not bad for an 'Eyes' virgin. Or any band i see for the first time i think. If you want to know about this lot think Sisters of Mercy and the Cult. But forget the enevitable comparisons and listen to whats going on and you get tunes well written with atmosphere and passion. Great gig and great album for 'Devils' and will look forward to finally investing in the whole collection.

If anyone knows the band how about the Uk guys.... lol.

Peace.

***move your body to the sounds of damnation***

This is a master piece from one of the best gothic bands on earth, this cd is one of the best cd I ever heard. With "framed in blood" starts a cd full of gothic riffs and the darkest voice you'll hear, I'm not saying buy it just download a few songs from kazaa or whatever and u'll c, I recommend "the chair" and "brandon lee" the best gothic songs I ever heard with phrases like "could there be a revenging angel left to bleed wanted the truth,

wanted the faith more than anything else in this world" or "just like the moon does we rise'n'shine'n'fall victims aren't we all!". The 69 eyes are definately one of the best gothic bands if not the best.

This album is the best out of all The 69 Eyes work. Really gothic melody/sound to it. Lead singer sounds like a gothic elvis haha. Hard to believe theres such thing, but once you listen to it, you'll get what I mean. This music genre ROCKS!!! Big fan, I love all their work, but this has got to be the best of them all!! =)