Perspective is important in all matters, and when it comes to being a metalhead, an occasional break from the scene is warranted. Some of us will escape to extreme ends, but we don't always have to stray so far, and we here at Metal Temple are happy to indulge those with a taste for Classic Rock and similar offshoots.

The listener can take this particular break to enjoy the eponymous debut of VELVETS, not to be confused with the 1950's doo-wop group out of Texas, or the VELVET UNDERGROUND cover band based in England, and neither are they fellow Finlanders VEETI AND THE VELVETS. No indeed, what you will hear on "Velvets" is another modern interpretation of Classic Rock, peppered here and there by other vintage sounds.

Starting it all off is "Honey", a tribute to the Bluesy core with an eminently catchy tune, however, one might have hoped for a lyrical touch-up. "Never Let You Go" follows up with a much more Rock N Roll approach, and where the last song needed some work, this track is radio ready.

An attempt at the Ballad is made on "Loved By You" to mixed results; Ballad lovers will love it, Ballad haters will hate it, and the indifferent will shrug their shoulders. "Electric Ride" resumes the former style, standing up as another very catchy Rock N Roll song. After that comes "Hurricane", which borders on an ELVIS parody but still delivers a fun little song, not to mention the album's shortest.

The album's back end demonstrates the band's consistency, starting with "Light Of The Night", which even being par for the course still shows improvement from the album's shaky start. "Summer Of Love" touches on a lot of elements of the Southern Rock Ballad, a steady continuation of the prior efforts, this time feeling akin to the early releases of HANK 3. Ending the album is "Delusion", another solid track in line with their sound, but the sudden cutoff ending seems unjust.

The numbers certainly check out for this album; eight tracks coming in at less than one half hour means there is no chance for "Velvets" to overstay its welcome. Despite the pedestrian start and questionable finish, VELVETS have put together a reasonably strong debut, and continuing with this sort of methodology will invite its own improvements, and the band can only get better from here.

Then again, starting at such a high level leaves the door open for regression on album two. Thankfully for us, VELVETS don't seem at odds internally, and if their press photos are any indication, the duo has a confident presence similar to, let's say, BILLY GIBBONS and DUSTY HILL, but for different reasons. As good as "Velvets" is, the follow-up already feels like a hit in the making.

So, between their style and fashion, VELVETS may prove polarizing, but there's something special going on here. Positive vibes don't get often transmitted in the pages of Metal Temple, but right now, we've got some. Have some fun with it.