The Biggest Surprise of the Year

Wow!!!
I just listened to KIUAS' new album, Lustdriven.

I don't know what to say.
I am speechless.

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I was so damn ready to pass this album, just ignore it completely because of KIUAS' previous albums and the impression I've gotten of them. Then I was so darn ready to listen to it, once, and bash this piece of album like a little mouse under my hoof, but oh behold! This album just went straight into my Top 10 of best albums this year so far! How the hell that happened?!? I am not stoned, drunk or high or anyhthing. I am simply amazed...or full of Easter eggs...


Let's revise a bit. I was listening to LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR's new great great great album Evil Power when I decided to give one listen to KIUAS' new, fourth album, Lustdriven, since it had gotten excellent reviews already (release date was 31st of March). I thought, why not, but it's power metal. High, higher, the highest vocal squawks, imagenary dragons, big swords, majestic castles and more evil purple and red dragons, white wizards and hippy elves and big juicy muscles of warriors riding with more muscular horses and lots of guitar shredding with annoying keyboard solos á la Nintendo and Commondore 64. (I prefer Nintendo if you are wondering, fits better for my clumpsy hooves.)

At first this album may sound like a copy of any CHILDREN OF BODOM's albums with clean powerful signing, but of course inlcuding screams of yeah and uuh and aah, and combinations of those, you know, that typical "macho" bullshit. But more you listen to this album the more it reveals about itself and more happier and happier you get. The more changes you give this album the more secrets, shades and nuanses you are about to hear. This album is addictive. It's not like power metal is bad or anything, but I am not big fan of it at all, occasional sessions with DIO or HELLOWEEN and that's it. But here we are: fanatic and excited as kids in circus.

But what makes this album so special and separates Lustdriven from DIO and HELLOWEEN for example. First, this album most certainly appeals to fans of TAROT, KALMAH, SENTENCED (new era), AMORAL (with new singer Ari Koivunen), IRON MAIDEN, and of course traditional guitar shredding of heavy fucking metal! Then, it has this thrash vibe in it that makes the combination of all those mentioned above so much more crunchier and stomping like furious Scott Ian in action. And not only KIUAS is Finnish (always a bonus) but it is one of the best melodic metal albums of the year and easily their best album so far. It's exciting, surprising, joyful, full of skillful and masterful instrumental parts and orchestral additions in vein of NIGHTWISH and FINNTROLL's new album Nifelvind. Not to mention the vocalist Ilja Jalkanen who has gotten so much better and better during the excistence of KIUAS. Pro-stuff all the way, no matter how you listen to it.

KIUAS, also known of being a regural visitor in SAUNA OPEN AIR FESTIVAL in Finland, for obvious reasons (you non-Finns just check out what kiuas means in here), has easily done the best, the biggest, the most interesting and fresh new album of the year. Also produced by Janne Joutsenniemi of STONE and SUB-URBAN TRIBE and mixed by Mikko Karmila and you're sure to get the best sound quality from Finland at the moment!


You definitely need to hear this. Get this album one way or another and enjoy it, just like I'm gonna do now again...and again.

This is pure happy metal carnival.