lukretion The decadent title chosen for The 69 Eyes’ sixth album – Paris Kills – captures well the essence of the music it contains: glossy and romantic goth ‘n’ roll that even vampires would fall in love with. In many ways, Paris Kills is the natural evolution of the two albums that preceded it, as the Finns continue their ascension to the summit of the then-popular Love Metal genre, shedding away the edgier, noisier and heavier aspects of their sound in favour of the same mellow and poised gothic allure their countrymen HIM and Sentenced were showcasing in those years.

The new songs have a direct and simple structure, usually consisting of subdued verses tightly woven around catchy hooks on the choruses. The guitars chug away and the bass pulsates in the background, giving the music a dense and groovy backbone, with plenty of space for the keyboards and vocals. Played by producer Johnny Lee Michaels, the keyboards are fairly prominent here, and rely on both subtle electronic loops and warmer organ-drenched sounds. Jyrki’s vocals are the other dominant aspect of the music. His croon is low and ominous, but also alluring and seductive – a perfect black gothic vampire at the mic. The main vocal lines are beautifully complemented by vivid rock-n-roll backing vocals that inject good energy into the music.

The template works a charm and it’s hard to find a fault with textbook-perfect goth anthems such as “Crashing High”, “Dance d’Amour” or “Betty Blue” (all launched as singles) or many of the other songs included here. I also enjoy how the album seems to enter a more experimental phase towards its mid-section, as tracks such as “Grey”, “Radical”, and “Stigmata” usher in electro-industrial vibes and an overall more sinister mood. It’s a welcome digression from the love-drenched goth decadence of the rest of the record, which would have otherwise been too homogeneous to retain interest from start to finish.

Paris Kills will eventually go platinum and is still considered The 69 Eyes’ crowning achievement by some. Personally, I prefer the two albums that preceded it, Wasting the Dawn and Blessed Be: they may be rawer but they are also more inspired and genuine compared to the material included here. In fact, the biggest problem I have with Paris Kills is that is sounds a tad too tame and predictable, as if, by perfecting their formula to its ultimate level, the Finns might have somewhat lost that sacred flame of artistry that burns instead so vividly in their less-perfect, but more earnest previous records.