The five-piece from Finland doesn’t need an introduction anymore, for years they’ve been around and their CDs have found their way into every gothic girl’s or melodic rock/metal fan’s CD board. While in the beginning they seemed to be one of the generic goth acts, they have grown up as musicians and taken a more mature approach to the genre, meaning more rock, including distorted guitars and heavy – as heavy as melodic rock can get – riffs, less cheesy keyboards and cliché ridden vocals.

Painstained goes on just in that vein. Already the first track, “Soul Sacrifice,” kicks off harder than anything these Finns have ever done but natural to the genre, this 6th studio album contains mainly balladesque songs like “Beautifully Confined,” “Hollow,” or “Lost in Denial,” which is led off by a wonderful piano melody. “Dead By Silence” comes along as a strong potential sing-along live song with its catchy vocal lines. I can already see this one being a follow up for “The Pit,” which has to date been the strongest and heaviest tune in the band’s live set. “Say Goodbye” on the other hand, elicits a cigarette lighter atmosphere and closes the album well with its atmospheric tone of despair.

As a whole, Painstained is neither a revolution nor the re-invention of the wheel but it’s surely one of the best melodic rock albums I’ve heard in a while. A must for genre fans and all others that like a softer tune now and then!

written by Juliane John

Playing time: 43:26