Friday, August 10, 2012

HYDROGYN: "Private Sessions"

Rating: RRR
Label: Rapid Fire Entertainment 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Hydrogyn have been around for a few years and they've managed to get a rather high profile, yet I haven't heard much of their music until now. I've seen plenty of photos of their vocalist Julie Westlake though, magazines and websites seem to be quite eager to publish them every given chance... I wonder why? :)

I Don't know why, but I was under the impression that Hydrogyn played heavier metal than what's on offer here. On "Private Sessions" they play fairly mainstream modern hard rock with some similarities to Evanescence and Within Temptation. There are touches of "Slave To The Grind"-era Skid Row too. That combination doesn't sound too bad at all, I'm actually quite glad that my strange impression of them being a full-on metal band was wrong.

My initial thoughts of the album were that Hydrogyn were a bit lost, trying to find their identity. However, after several spins the pieces started to fit and now the album sounds more cohesive. Some of the songs still sound a bit forced, as if they tried to fit them into the Evanescence/Within Temptation mould a bit too hard.

The band has several rather good songs, the highly melodic "Forbidden Kind" and "I Don't Know" for example, but maybe the one sure-fire hit is still missing. Julie Westlake is certainly not just a pretty face, she's an excellent vocalist and the "X-factor" that separates the band from the others. I have a feeling that Hydrogyn might be heading for the next level, if not with this album but maybe with the next one.
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