You have to admit it - for some reason the title of the new album from these Suomi dudes brings in your mind the flick Eyes Wide Shut? Why? Who knows? But don't bother, it happens to everyone. It's kind of weird to see a totally different band carrying around the same name but having only one original member from the previous line up. Of course the key characteristic element in the original line up sound was the vocals of Jape Peratalo. That (alongside copyright infringements) gave us To/Die/For volume 2.
I know that the majority of metal fans knows this band only from their cult (now) cover version of In The Heat Of The Night by Sandra in their debut release All Eternity back in 1999. Still the band kept releasing solid good albums from time to time and Wounds Wide Open is actually their fifth release (apart various singles).
I don't have to mention that these dudes are pro. Their songs are some commercially wise written that they should be considered as the pop of metal. Wicked Circle explodes heavy as hell but soon the song takes the well-known road of gothic rock like the rest of the songs. Indeed this album sounds a bit heavier and maybe overloaded compared with their previous releases (fine example is the multi-layered tune Liquid Skies) but that just works fine for the band. Thumbs up also for the very good cover version of (I Just) Want You (now here's an interesting choice from the madman's career!!!).
Pushed to excellence by the thick production Wounds Wide Open is a killer release for fans of dance metal (our chief editor is one of them). Anyway you look at it is a catchy album that will definitely make even the last evil black metalhead shake his bom bom. Your honor... I rest my case!