THE 69 EYES - "UNIVERSAL MONSTERS" (2016)

THE 69 EYES - "UNIVERSAL MONSTERS"
(Running time: 46:49 minutes; 11 songs)
("Nuclear Blast Records"; 2016; CD):

And yes, trying to get now also the next up and ready for you, this time we'll have a closer look on a 2016 full-length-album-release and it is the "UNIVERSAL MONSTERS" album of/by the almighty THE 69 EYES released via "NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS", one of my all-time favorite Gothic/Gothic Rock bands ever after the all-time-ever-larger-then-life THE SISTERS OF MERCY; and btw THE 69 EYES are with the mentioned THE SISTERS OF MERCY so far the only Gothic/Gothic Rock(/Gothic Metal) bands I still listen to today and this even on a regular basis. Hm, so maybe it's save to say that this alone tells sort of a story... but I'm not here to tell you a story or what-so-ever anyway, nah, I am here to give you my review on it, yes, so here we go again: THE 69 EYES delivered one strong and diverse new album in 2016 and what I really love is "simply" the fact that this is a band that music- and lyricwise really still got a lot to tell. Four years after its predecessor "X" THE 69 EYES came back with "UNIVERSAL MONSTERS" and this is a just damn fine, nicely clichee-free (as far as "true..." Gothic Rock can be clichee-free anyhow), surely laid-back but still in a "under-the-surface-way" very powerful and especially ass-cool rocking'n'grooving album full of strong, big ideas and a very strong own, unique, and matured identity and character; a big album delivered by matured gentlemen who know their own (musical) identity and who don't give a damn about sounding like fifteen to twenty years ago, instead do their very own thing. This is pretty unique Gothic Rock with a big written Rock in it that cruises somewhere between their very own old(er) masterpieces and THE SISTERS OF MERCY's "VISION THING", some few doses (old) DANZIG, and just good old Rock and also Blues and Country, especially when it comes to the tone and the feeling of the songs, maybe somewhere between ELVIS PRESLEY, JOHNNY CASH, and THE DOORS; even the Gothic still clearly dominates, what-ever this now may mean. We get very emotional, pretty dark and melancholic yet still pretty forceful guitars that drive the songs forward and that really shine "dark'n'bride" with strong grooves and rhythms as well as and especially with fantastic sensitive leads/lead-melodies and very, very often truly and really "just" sheer majestic solos. Then there are mostly "just" fantastic arranged and composed Keyboard parts, a strong bass-work seething in the background, and elated ingratiated drumming, and all on a supreme level of quality and skills. Musicians of high skills, songwriters of high skills, thumbs up. And above all really shine the stand-alone, full, and strong, very unique charismatic vovals. Amazing!!! The songwriting is exciting and grapping and offers a lot of nice little, big surprises and a big bunch of fresh ideas; and it all meshes perfectly into another. That's just great!!! The atmosphere is intense and it is dark, yes, still dark, but it's also all often strong rocking and so it's while it's pretty laid-back still yet very damn powerful you "just" have to take the time and work yourself into the "UNIVERSAL MONSTERS", and trust me, it's really far more than "only" worth it, this is a true treasure box full of diverse and multi-layered songwriting and damn great songs. This fine gentlemen do what they want to do today and while they were pretty much always a (even more than) great band these days THE 69 EYES and their "UNIVERSAL MONSTERS" (also one of the by far "coolest" albums I've heard in and for years) are like a delicious bottle of a fantastic wine with a very unique delicate taste that only got better with all this years passed by. I can only recommend this very, very fine album to you even when Gothic Rock is normally not really "something for you", but this album has so incredible much to offer and I am pretty sure that sort of "every" fan of good old Rock & Roll will find a big bunch of songs to enthusiastically enjoy on "UNIVERSAL MONSTERS", so, yes, hell yeahr, go and give it a try if you still didn't have so. And damn it, even today and after all this many, many years down the river, THE 69 EYES still damn fucking rule and that's just amazing. We get also very good and diverse lyrics, a cool artwork, and a firstclass production-sound to top it all. I love this band, I love this album, it's a (nearly perfect) masterpiece of its very own, and it's highly, highly recommended. Cheers.

(9 of 10 points)

http://69eyes.com/ (-the link to the band's homepage)

Note: Okay folks, that's it for today, I'm done for today's evening. Doing this reviews (sort of finally again) was fun and helped me to forget at least a bit for a few hours all the two posts ago mentioned "private troubles" and so it was all more than only good and fine, but so far right now, yes, I feel pretty "exhausted" post- and review-wise, so yes, more will come the next days and next up then will also be a review on another new 2017 release. Okay, that's it for today, I'm pretty sure, and so, yes, I wish you all a good evening. Cheers.

THE 69 EYES - "ROCK & ROLL JUNKIE" (2016, "UNIVERSAL MONSTERS")