### Entwine: Painstained

#### 11/02/09 || Euthanatos

I think it’s well-established that I’m a sucker for catchy/pop gothic metal. I have no shame in admitting it, I’ve reached that age where you don’t really give a fuck what other people think, so I can yell at random people on the street while shaking a fist, smell bad on a constant basis and, yes, have a questionable music taste.

Entwine is another of those bands that came out of Finland during the Great Winter Depression of the 90’s, taking the world with misery and leather pants. H.I.M., Charon, Sentenced, you know the lot. Entwine kind of set themselves apart from the bunch because of Mika Tauriainen’s vocals, which are quite different from your usual deep tone. He sings in a high-rasp-pitch, something that gives Entwine a different appeal.

I’ve followed Entwine’s career ever since the release of “Gone”, but I don’t know if I’m really a huge admirer of the band. There are only 2 solid albums out of their discography that I would recommend, “Time of Despair” and “DiEversity”, and even those have a lot of filler between the truly awesome songs. They took a long time between the last one, “Fatal Design”, and this new release,“Painstained”.

I’ve given this new album quite a few spins, and it’s hard to place it in their discography. All the usual elements are there, the melodies that will have you humming, Mika’s vocals better than ever, so on. Actually, one thing that is missing is the keyboard chick, Riitta Heikkonen, she seems to have left the band somewhere along the way, but I can’t honestly say she is missed.

But, back to the album, the songwriting keeps the same level as before, but I’m still missing some intense songs that make me want to listen to them over and over again, like “Nothing Left to Say” and “Bleeding For the Cure”. I guess some tracks here come close, like “Beautifully Confined” and “Hollow” (which is a really good song), but I can’t shake off the feeling that Entwine has a lot of potential that remains unfulfilled.

All in all, it’s an enjoyable album, but not really something that you’ll be going back to on a regular basis. That is, if you’re a fan of gothic metal, of course. If not, why are you reading this review? Haha, you’re gay!

The cover: A hand, covering a face. It’s symbolism, you see. They’re embarrassed by their album.

6 Finnish girly men drowning in sorrow out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: Spinefarm
- Website: www.entwine.org
- Band
- Mika Tauriainen: vocals
- Tom Mikkola: guitars
- Jaani Kähkönen: guitars
- Joni Miettinen: bass
- Aksu Hanttu: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Soul Sacrifice
- 02. Strife
- 03. Dying Moan
- 04. Beautifully Confined
- 05. Lost in My Denial
- 06. Greed of Mankind
- 07. Dead by Silence
- 08. Hollow
- 09. Caught by Desire
- 10. Say Goodbye