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Lollipop Magazine/www.lollipop.com
For nearly a year I've been listening to this five-song
EP from Italy's Helalyn Flowers. Only unsigned bands to
ever get that kind of longevity in my player are/were
Moon Theory, Regenerator, Dope Stars, Inc, and way back
when, Circle of Dust. Between Metropolis and Napalm you
can satisfy your craving for quality darkwave and
industrial and Gothic metal, and some goodies may slip
in from Projekt, Century Media, Nuclear Blast, the odd
signing of Fields of the Nephilim to SPV, and scattered
releases from WTII and Dancing Ferret and maybe Black
Rain, but really, anyone who bitches that there aren't
any good, dark electronic-obsessed bands anymore must be
looking to MTV or something foolish, cuz they'll play
Evanescence and maybe Lacuna Coil to death, but never
turn you onto anything new.
Helalyn Flowers are a two-piece, a female singer/programmer
and a male guitarist/programmer/synth player. Both are
striking good looking. There's a session bassist who
makes himself known, but what they really need is a live
drummer. The programmed drums mesh nicely at times, but
when they rock out, you wanna know that there's a ripped
dude in the background, twirling sticks and throwing his
hair around. And rockin' out is when Helalyn Flowers are
at their best, to these ears. I'm not a fan of the
choppier, kinda rappy stuff (many bands do it, it must
either be lots of fun to play, or there's an audience
for it I've been lucky enough never to meet), but when
they let it soar like Leaves' Eyes (with more
electronics), they can make you stop what you're doing
to cock your head and close your eyes. Fuck yeah!
"Disorder," the song on the Lollipop mp3 CD, starts off
a little generic, but by the end of its 5:30, if you
haven't found a new favorite band to namedrop that none
of your friends have heard of, check to make sure you
have a pulse. |
