Daniel Lioneye – Vol. III

[schema type=”review” name=”Daniel Lioneye – Vol. III” description=”Label: The End Records” author=”Basak Günel” pubdate=”2016-08-19″ ]

Anyone who is a fan of HIM has definitely heard the name Daniel Lioneye. Formed by the band members of HIM as a side-project in 2001, Daniel Lioneye became known when they composed the theme track for the famous show Viva La Bam but hey, they have never been that mainstream or popular unlike the TV show! Considering the fame of HIM, it’s quite clear that Daniel Lioneye has never been that ‘productive’ when it came to releasing records. The band released 3 records in all these years and I gotta say that the album release news of “Vol. III”, which has been released last month, got me really surprised and excited!

When first listening to the record, I realized that although the band is Finnish, their style is far from Finnish rock or far from what they brought in the past. Surely, there are some influences from HIM since the vocalist/guitarist Linde is also the guitarist in HIM so his authentic ‘signature’ is quite recognizable but other than that, this overall sound is quite different from the typical Finnish rock/metal sound that I know. Despite some ‘American rock’ influences, Vol.III is quite impressive from the first spin. It’s really bizarre but quite rock’n’roll and that’s why the record is really catchy but not mainstream at all!

Sound-wise, the record does not follow a certain pattern so you might get confused or even raise eyebrows when you first listen to it but the more you listen to it, the more you will realize the different styles that are featured in the record. From doom/death metal to grunge/rock’n’roll, “Vol.III” definitely offers something for everyone.. in a bizarre way though! For example, the record starts in a rock’n’roll way but then with a song like “Alright”, the band shows us that they can also make a raw, death/black-metal like song! Let’s not forget the stoner/psychedelic vibe that’s scattered throughout the record; songs like “Messier 0” and “Baba Satanas” will make you wonder what the guys were on when they composed the album!  I must say that this mixture of genres is what got me into the record. Surely, some songs like “Aetherside”, “Break It or Heal It”, “Ravensong” and “Alright” stand out more than others but the record is quite extraordinary. The distorted guitars form the highlight of the record so a little bit of more keyboards would have not been so bad but hey, too much rock’n’roll is didn’t hurt anyone!

Get ready for the most bizarre record of 2016! “Vol.III” is refreshing and heavy! The band has also announced a mini-European tour this year so check them out live if you have the chance.

Line-up:
Linde – guitars, vocals
Burton – keyboards
Sepi – drums
Mige – bass

Tracklist: 01. Messier 0 02. Blood on the Floor 03. Break It or Heal It 04. Licence to Defile 05. Ravensong 06. Alright 07. Baba Satanas 08. Aetherside 09. Dancing With The Dead 10. Oh God In Your Great Mercy 11. Mathematics of the Storm 12. Neolithic Way

Links:
Daniel Lioneye Facebook