Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Machine Men
Label: Century Media
Release: 2007
A bunch of young Finns led by vocalist Toni Parviainen formed Machine Men in 1998, and with their debut Scars&Wounds (2003) they already had the metal crowd buzzing with a fresh take on a genre, power metal (or modern heavy metal), that’s gone pretty stale these days. What’s more, they surprised everyone with seriously high-quality music wearing its influences, above all the legendary Iron Maiden, on its sleeve (Machine Men actually started out as an Iron Maiden cover band). You could even say that Iron Maiden would probably sound just like this if they’d formed today and gone down the classic power metal route. You’ve probably also figured out that the guys borrowed their name from the “air-raid” siren himself, Mr. Dickinson, namely from a track off the excellent album The Chemical Wedding.
Machine Men take another cue from Bruce Dickinson. Well, to be more precise, Toni’s vocals at times sound uncannily like those of the great legend, just more typically power-metal melodic. If you’re “copying” a band like Iron Maiden, the recipe for success is already written, and Machine Men cook it up very successfully indeed. The latest release, “The Circus of Fools”, is once again a top-notch, high-quality product of the Finnish school of power metal. Even though this circus of fools doesn’t quite reach the heights of that excellent debut, it’s still a slightly better effort than the previous record, Elegies (2005).
You can definitely tell the guys are slowly but steadily maturing: on Circus of Fools you can clearly hear more original ideas, the riffs are even more polished, the solos are venomously fast and the melodies are outstanding. It’s also surprising that Machine Men no longer draw so heavily on the Maiden alone. At times they even flirt with thrash moves, as the punchy opener and title track “Circus of Fools” proves, and the guys openly admit to influences from Queensryche and Ozzy too.
In the same “take no prisoners” manner, the record carries on with an uncompromising track that was released as a single, “No Talk Without the Giant”. The album really swings between power metal ballads, like the excellent epic “Ghost of the Seasons”, and punchy, heavy “rockers” like the great “Tyrannize”, with probably the best solo on the record. “Where I Stand” is definitely one of the favorites, if not the best track on the album. Antony adds to the epic atmosphere of the song with his incredible vocals, and it could easily slot onto one of Dickinson’s solo albums, especially The Chemical Wedding or Accident of Birth. The guitar parts, both acoustic and electric, are also a bit reminiscent of Adrian Smith’s brilliant finger wizardry. Don’t worry, the anthemic Maiden-style chants haven’t gone missing either, as “Dying Without a Name” nicely shows, with its excellent, familiar “oooo ooooo ooooooo” sing-a-long section and a great solo, with Antony shining once again. A mid-tempo closer follows in “The Cardinal Point”, where the “oooo” chant returns and the curtain falls on a gorgeous melody.
This time around, the special guests in the circus arena are Marko Hietala (Nightwish, Tarot), Keijo Niinimaa (Rotten Sound), Tommi “Tuple” Salmela (Tarot), Rainer Nygard (Diablo) and a few more VIPs from the mighty Finnish metal scene.
The production is once again excellent, as we’re used to from the previous records, and the sound is crystal clear, though the producer could have given the rhythm section more room. The bass guitar is practically inaudible, and Jarno’s drums are nothing more than a rhythm bed for the guitars, with simple fills and totally ordinary beats.
Fans who already know Machine Men know exactly what to expect from them: a healthy dose of super-melodic metal backed up by even better vocals. And for those of you who don’t know them yet, maybe it’s about time you headed off to the circus…
Line-up
Toni “Antony” Parviainen – vocals
Turbo J-V – guitar
Jani Noronen – guitar
Eero Vehniäinen – bass guitar
Jarno Parantainen – drums
Tracklist
1. Circus of Fools
2. No Talk Without the Giant
3. Ghost of the Seasons
4. Tyrannize
5. The Shadow Gallery
6. Where I Stand
7. Border of the Real World
8. Dying Without a Name
9. The Cardinal Point
Running time: 41:49
