Band : I Walk The Line

Album title : Black Wave Rising

Label : Boss Tuneage/ Rookie Records

Distributor : Sonic Rendezvous - Gordeon Music Promotion

Release date : 28/04/2008 (Boss Tuneage)

Release : CD

Helsinki, Finland based quintet I Walk The Line was formed as a side-project by members of Wasted and Manifesto Jukebox in 2003 (current line-up includes lead singer/ bassist Ville , guitarist/ backing singer Antti , guitarist Jani , organist Anna , and drummer/ backing singer Jussi ), and soon established themselves as a must-see band in the local scene.

Not surprising, when you've heard the band's take on Dark but catchy & melodic New Wave/ Punk Rock 'n' Roll, which pulls influences from the likes of   Rocket From The Crypt , The Clash , Devo , Adolescents , Murder City Devils , Wipers , The Cure , and ever so many others...because the band is all about listening to everybody and everything with an open mind...but doing things their own way no matter what. Personally, I feel IWTL is stylistically remeniscent of those early '80s bands which incorporated keyboards in their still somewhat Punky sound to please bigger audiences (a necessity back in the days, if you wanted to survive somewhat as a recording artist).

Anyways, back to IWTL history, starting with the fact that they released their debut album Badlands on Combat Rock Industry (in their homeland) and Boss Tuneage (in the UK) during 2004 before heading out on several German and UK tours to introduce their music to a broader public. Sophomore album Desolation Street was released in 2006 (in Germany & Finland, and again on Combat Rock Industries ), got met with positive appraisal from both the fans and press, and went on to hit the national charts. Thanks to the band's continued touring ethics (playing the smallest sweaty clubs as well as some of the biggest open air festivals), the "Diamond Eyes" single, culled from the album in July 2006, even made it to a #2 chart position. Having sees the band play at the Popkomm Festival US Punk Rock label Gearhead was sufficiently overwhelmed with IWTL's qualities to pick up the album for distribution in the States later that year, releasing the album in January 2007. The band backed the re-issue up with tours in the US and Japan, and put in another European tour as well. After the Summer, the band took out time to write the songs for their third album...

...which has now been playing in the cd-player for a couple of times already (after the initial listening sessions I gave the album) prior to my getting the review started. And I have to say, each session has been thoroughly enjoyable, in spite of the "Dark" affix to the band's musical description. Yep, the guitar melodies wrapped in keyboards are so catchy and enticing they somehow take a priority on the mood of some of the songs. In fact, you'll sooner find yourself nodding your head and body along to the tunes, that listening to those somewhat depressive lyrics. Check it out for yourself by surfing to myspace.com/iwtlfinland, where you'll find two songs off the new album and 3 more off earlier recordings (at myspace.com/bosstuneagerecords, you'll find an additional track off Black Wave Rising in album opener "Trouble Seeker" ). If you're somewhat into that New Wavery '80s-styled Punk Rock 'n' Roll, there's no way you're gonna tell me you don't like IWTL after heaving heard what the band has on offer! The band will see their third album released on Finland (on Combat Rock Industry ), Germany and Europe (through Rookie ), the USA (by Gearhead ), and in the UK, Japan & Australia ( Boss Tuneage ), and they dó deserve such a wide-spread distribution with these 11 songs totalling just under 34 minutes of playing time!!!

92/100

Tony.