Time Signature The road goes on...

Genre: hard rock / modern heavy metal

Thy Row is a Finnish band whose style combines hard rock and heavy metal. Their brand of hard rock is on display on their full-length effor "Unchained". And, boy, this is not bad stuff at all.

The album features ten hard rockers including a three parter in the form of the three 'The Downfall' tracks towards the end of the album. After three mid-tempo tracks in the form of 'The Road Goes On', 'The Round' (this one complete with epic guitar melodies) and 'Unchained', the listener is treated to the heavier 'Horizons' and 'Just Fine' as well as the the groovy 'Hidebound'. While also heavy, 'Down on my Knees' has a hint of AOR to it which also applies to 'The Downfall, Part 3', while the two other 'Downfall' songs are more hard-hitting. The Japanese version of this release features a bonus track in the form of a cover version of X Japan's 'Blue Blood'. The is actually a very good cover version and, in my opinion, the track on the album that appeals the most to me. Overall, the album might lack diversity (I have no problem with it though), but this more power-metal-ish track adds some variation to at least the Japanese version.

The production is crisp and modern sounding - some might say it's polished, but I wouldn't go that far. It definitely fits the music which in itself has a modern rock and modern edge to it. The musicianship is top notch as well, and Thy Row are clearly skilled songsmiths as well who understand the power of combining melody and chugging heavy metal riffs.

Overall, Thy Row's "Unchained" is a very strong album which combines hard rock and heavy metal, taking it in a modern direction. In any case, this is a quite enjoyable listen; if you like hard rock and modern metal, definitely pick this one up when it comes out in September.