Dieversity

Finnish gothic rockers Entwine have come a long way since their inception. With their fourth studio effort Dieversity, they seem to have settled for a more commercial and radio-friendly songwriting formula which has garnered them plenty of reviews where they were likened to HIM, one of the biggest gothic pop bands from Finland. While I don't quite agree with this comparison, Entwine now definitely does opt for a catchier and more straightforward approach in their songs.

The album is littered with plenty of electronic arrangements that feature both programmed and real drum beats, catchy melodic interludes, and gothic pop vocals by Mike Tauriainen. Although Tauriainen isn't as catchy as, say the singers of HIM or Rasmus, he is certainly getting there. At the same time, he still has the trademark Finnish vocal style that evokes the melancholic band Charon on the piano ballad "Frozen by the Sun". Dense piano notes are surrounded by atmospheric guitar and keyboard sounds while the singer delivers lyrics of sorrow, as expected. Similarly, the band reminds me of later day Sentenced on "Bitter Sweet", save for its electronic keyboard sequencing. It's mostly the way the vocal melodies are sung and arranged, I suppose. Moreover, Entwine comes across as a much more layered and textured band than most other goth rock acts, as the song combines elements of pop, ambiance, and melodic metal at the same time. The focus is on the smooth keyboard lines that interact with despondent acoustic guitars which underlie Tauriainen's gripping vocal melodies. These nuances will come out after a couple of spins though. Most other songs fall into the same writing style, which emphasizes sad vocal lines and keyboard-heavy melodies. The guitars are there to add colour rather than actually drive the songs. However, what differentiates Entwine from many other Finnish goth bands is their crunch-filled guitar riffs that are ever-present in all of their songs. This has obviously resulted in a heavier album. Also, two of the songs feature great guitar solos, the one on "Refill My Soul" being one of those overtly 80's inspired rock solos. Another piece that stands out is the very depressive "Everything for You", another love song with a beautifully grey piano melody. The album closes with the atmospheric instrumental "Lost Within", which is just sparse keyboards marked by flickering guitar arpeggios. Actually I also detect some hidden violin and cello in this one.

Travis Smith's artwork and CD layout is awesome. This is one of his most different works to date. I was rather surprised to see his name in the credits, considering his trademark style on Katatonia and Opeth albums. Also, kudos goes to the amazing production and mixing job on Dieversity. This album will appeal to fans of To/Die/For, Poisonblack, Charon, and perhaps even Sentenced. I will not mention the HIM similarity because it's being overdone these days. HIM could only dream of having so much crunch in their music.

Finnland's Entwine may be the best gothic/romantic metal band that exists at the present time. They have created a near-perfect sound with their use of ultra-heavy, but not overly complex guitars, haunting keyboards, and searing vocals. This is one of those bands that seems to get better and more refined with every release. I own their previous two releases: "Gone" and "Time of Despair". I thought Gone was good, and T.O.D. was twice as good, and i was wondering if they could ever top that album. my doubts were quickly silenced with one listen of Dieversity. it is a great travesty that they are not headlining US tours right now. They very easily could be, if they had a little more exposure. This is one of the best metal albums of 2004 so far.

If you are a fan of music like H.I.M, Icon, but with a little bit more of an aggressive energy and a harder edge. I think this cd has been severly underestimated. The singer has an amazing voice with characteristics all of it's own. He sings in a higher range and with a lot more power than some of his competitors in the genre. I've spun this cd so much that the laser in my cd player is starting to melt through( kidding, but that should tell you that if you're into the gothic metal thing then you should give this cd a serious listen.) starting to get laser burn.

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