Band : Burning Point

Title album : Burned Down The Enemy

Record label : Metal Heaven

Distribution : Rough Trade

Release date : 19.01.2007

Review : CD

In an earlier life, the core of this Finish Power Metal band (singer/ guitarist Pete Ahonen & drummer Jari Kaiponen ) proudly raised the Doom Metal banner as a duo, but never got further than the one demo (on which they got help from some friends), in spite of strong critical acclaim. Then, in 1999, the duo was joined by other members to form Burning Point , cut a promotional CD, and got signed to Limb Music Products (where the 2 first albums of the band, 2001's Salvation By Fire and 2003's Feeding The Flames were released; in 2004 the To Hell And Back 3-track EP would follow on Poison Arrow ). Regretfully, massive legal problems ended up in   fights with lawyers and the loss of their record deal.

The band recorded a new promotional CD in 2005, which eventually got the attention of Metal Heaven . With the new album as a direct result! Line-up changes occured as guitarist Jukka Kyoö prefered to turn his activities to his own Thrash Metal project National Napalm Syndicate (resurrected in 2003 with the aid if drummer Kaiponen ), and bassist Toni Kansajova with Catamenia . Which makes that on the album the original duo of Ahonen & Kaiponen is helped out by the addition of keyboardist Jussi Ontero (formerly/ still playing with Ghost Machine – another Ahonen band –, Wildcard , & Dolorian , he was already cont(r)acted for the EP as drummer, and contributed drums on 6 of the 11 tracks on the album) and guitarist Pekka Kolivuori ( Sicknote ). Bass duties are shared by Pete Ahonen (on the title track) and one Jukka Jokikokko (of Scarlet Threat , he now also plays in Stargazer , yet another band formed by Ahonen in mid '06). Whether he's now a full-fledged member remains to be seen.

The rest of the band however, is said to be standing 100% behind the somewhat heavier direction (haven't heard their older stuff, but I can immagine that perhaps their current material is somewhat speedier) the music's taken. Of course, with Ahonen and his distinctive voice (which has been compared to Jeff Scott Soto ), the "face" of the band is still there, and the music is still primarily melodic and comprising of wonderful harmony vocals in the choruses.

For me personally (remember that I have to review a wide variety of new   releases), the album came at a wrong moment, and the honey-sweetness of the melodies, the "politically correct" arrangements, the "perfect" performing skills...it all came over like stuff I'd heard so many times before already. Still, I'll be the last to deny this band's qualities & high standards (which is already proven by my earlier words), and for those less fortunate among our readers (strictly talking about the amount of CDs they come in contact with now), or people whose musical taste restricts itself somewhat into that typical Power-Metal-with-orchestral-keyboards sound, this album will certainly mean a more than just nice beginning of 2007! Therefore, my rating is directed towards those very people, devoid from my personal views.

In fact, if you're really a fan of the genre, I urge you to try and get a copy of the limited first edition, which will comprise 3 bonus tracks (the previously unreleased "My Reign , My Fire" , a demo version of album track "Heart Of Gold" , and "The Road To Hell" , which already appeared on the 2004 EP). Alternatively, you might even try to get tthe Japanese version of the album, because that will contain 2 more, and different, bonuses ( "Bring Downn Oblivion" , on which Ahonen also plays the bass, and "Nocturnal Night" )...but that one may be kinda expensive to purchase!

90/100

Tony.