amoral show your colors

Released: 11 May 2009 Label: Spinefarm

Forget anything you ever knew about Amoral. Show Your Colors is the first release from the new look and definitely new sounding Amoral. The former death metal Finns have replaced growler Niko Kalliojärvi with Idols winner Ari Koivunen on vocals. Fondly known as 'Hevi Ari' in his native country, Ari made a name for himself singing classic rock covers and romping to victory on the TV programme. After winning the Finnish Idols he went on to have a successful solo career singing safe melodic rock, sending thousands of small Finnish children air guitaring.

It came as a huge surprise to many when Amoral named him as their new singer, signalling a change in direction for their fourth album and, it appears, the alienation of almost their entire existing fan base in the process within nanoseconds. Comments on forums have included statements such as "brain raping shit" and "assrape with chainsaw", and those were the more positive ones. Former Amoral fans have certainly not been shy at coming forward and vocalising their disgust with this album since it was leaked onto the Internet a few weeks before release. Still, all press is good press eh? It's at least got people talking about it.

The directional shift sees the band plumping for a more traditional melodic rock sound; certainly no death metal and growling to be found anymore. Koivunen wasn't the only change to the line up, Pekka Johansson has also joined on bass. The result is a more generic pop / rock metal with catchy hooks in the choruses. In the background there's some really meaty and fantastic guitars, and riffs that're up there with anything else Finland has to offer right now. It has leanings towards the heavier side of the rock spectrum, but the new style of vocals produce tracks that then jump out as catchy classics, such as the first single Year of the Suckerpunch or Vivid.

So can Koivunen hack it vocally? On the face of it this was a kid who can belt out rock tracks with the best of them, and his vocals tend to suit this style of ballsy melodic rock. The more cynical musicians have been known to mutter "bad pitch" under their breath, but his voice works on the majority of this album, it's better than on his previous solo material. It's best when he's letting rip on the heavier tracks.

There's a range of styles, showing the bands versatility and musicianship. A Shade of Grey is slightly thrashier, but Last October is a classic ballad, and Koivunen's vocals also seem strong in this arrangement. As a full album it just lacks that something extra special to make it stand out.

There are a couple of fillers in there that you want to skip over. Don't get me wrong though, this is not a bad record. Nearly all of the old Amoral fanbase will despise it, but new listeners who appreciate your usual melodic rock that comes from Finland will probably like this it for what it is. It's good, it's listenable, and it has a few great tracks on it. It's almost like a debut offering from the band, and if you look at it like that, it's a pretty damn worthwhile first effort!

by Lynn Wyeth