GOTHONY ALBUM REVIEW GOTHONY

REVIEWER – GRAEME WRIGHT

I didn’t see this coming!

I remember hearing Gothony in the nineties via a couple of promo tapes back in my fanzine writing days. I liked them a lot as they combined Goth music, Heavy Metal and gruffer-edged vocals, but all the while they retained both melody and technical ability. After that there was nothing, so I figured the band must have gone their separate ways. Then, all of a sudden, a new single ‘Patient 2442’ appeared under the Gothony banner which was a huge surprise to me to the extent that I figured it wasn’t the same band. Well I was wrong, this is a resurrected Gothony and it’s an absolute banger of a new record.

The band are based in Helsinki and in 2019 they decided to get back on stage after a twenty-plus year break to perform some of their old tunes, a decision which has ultimately led to the release of a brand new self-titled debut album, ‘Gothony’. I can’t tell you how pleased I was to hear this news, so I had my fingers crossed that the band would be as good as I remembered and thankfully my prayers were answered. What you get here are eight rock-solid modern Metal songs that still retain the band’s initial sound, but have been given a modern-day production makeover so that everything here sounds fresh and relevant.

Imagine if you can melodic Heavy Metal with Iron Maiden/Judas Priest style guitar work, but with gruffer vocals leaning towards the lighter end of Death Metal and that will give you an idea of what to expect from this record. The opening track ‘Hologram’, with its atmospheric opening and epic scope starts things off in fine style and is indicative of this band’s novel and original style. The first single ‘Patient 2442’ is a heavier piece of work and contains a guest female vocal that is almost jarring but ultimately suits the song perfectly. ‘Ants’ is next and provides no respite, with singer Wuohi sounding occasionally like prime Udo Dirkschneider, albeit one who has gone down a Death Metal wormhole.

‘In The Shadow Of The Moon’ is the most Iron Maiden-style track on the album musically with its heavy bass line melding perfectly with a soaring lead break. ‘My Pain’ was the first of the new songs to be recorded by the band and with its slower-paced opening and ominous vocal this is my favourite track on the album, bringing with it an almost NWOBHM sound to the proceedings. ‘Crystal Dream Apophis’ is a song that featured on one of their original recordings from the nineties, but while the difference in style is noticeable, the modern-day production values mean that this sits comfortably with the other songs on the album.

‘Disarm The Gods’ is another accessible yet heavy track, while album closer ‘Rapacity’ thunders along and brings things to a suitably fiery climax with probably the most extreme vocals featured on the record. In conclusion, the return of Gothony was a big surprise for me and a great early Christmas present because I loved this album. If your taste leans towards the heavier end of the musical spectrum I suspect that you will to.

BAND

Wuohi – Vocals

Mika Uusitalo – Guitar

Miika Peräkangas – Guitar

Väiski Syväoja – Bass

M. Toivonen – Drums

ALBUM TRACKLIST

1. Hologram
2. Patient 2442
3. Ants
4. In The Shadow Of The Moon
5. My Pain
6. Crystal dream Apophis
7. Disarm the Gods
8. Rapacity