NINE LIVES

If there's one thing I love about the Von Hertzen Brothers, it's that they know how to give us variety and personality. These guys have the chops to do whatever they want; but, like their other albums, "Nine Lives" is a big ol' bag of tricks of all shapes and sizes.

Brother Mikko, the singer, has a wonderful voice that can be used in so many ways. You see, "Nine Lives' features great little ballads, rocking accessible songs, and soaring prog pieces. They can do all of these comfortably, and Mikko can change his voice to fit the style. "Insomniac", for instance, features some very high vocals with much melody. However, "Coming Home" features Mikko channeling Billy idol a bit with that low and almost creepy style that bounces off the bass lines so well.

I think this ability is not just consigned to Mikko. All of the instruments follow suit as they can change to play whatever style they so desire, and they spar with Mikko very well, too. In other words, this album is simply fun and a joy to hear, even if it's not the most challenging music to absorb. Yes, I just used the word "fun" to describe a prog album! What these guys lose in challenging music, they gain in purely interesting music.

If you are looking for a great album of semi-catchy prog rock, look no further. You won't get any epics or any ambient tracks, but you will get the Von Hertzen Brothers rocking your socks off and creating some wonderful melodies, too.

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Posted Thursday, August 1, 2013 | Review this album | Report (Review #1009636)

The Finnish band Von Hertzen Brothers' fifth record from this years is well produced and quite different music, yet rather commercial and mostly good. "Nine lives" is the name and on the cover we can behold nine tiger faces in different colours. The line-up is Mikko von Hertzen (voice, guitar) ... (read more)

Report this review (#1051858) | Posted by DrömmarenAdrian | Wednesday, October 2, 2013 | Review Permanlink

Potentially sensational - lost to lack of direction. I normally stay clear of Crossover, but having a soft spot for Scandinavian artists, I was intrigued. Those tiny nations (by population) have produced a disproportionate number of excellent artists. Thanks to some Nordic friends who kep ... (read more)

Report this review (#943168) | Posted by BORA | Friday, April 12, 2013 | Review Permanlink

Grrr...Tigers. And there is 9 of them. So this band I have known about only for a short time. They were on tour with Pain Of Salvation, and I was told that Pain Of Salvations new sound actually has a similar sound and vein to this band. So I thought I would give them a listen, and I was impre ... (read more)

Report this review (#941471) | Posted by arcane-beautiful | Tuesday, April 9, 2013 | Review Permanlink

To be honest, I've been looking for new bands, sounds and musical proposals being the nordic countries those who are at the spearhead in recent years. Previously to this record, I've never heard anything from finnish' Von Hertzen Brothers. So if there's any lack of consideration or musical gaps from ... (read more)

Report this review (#935469) | Posted by AdaCalegorn | Tuesday, March 26, 2013 | Review Permanlink

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