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The Black League > Ghost Brothel > Reviews
The Black League - Ghost Brothel

Long Live Rock n' Roll!! - 90%

MrLapinKulta, May 9th, 2009

Attempting to describe the sound of any given band by means of comparing them to other similar acts or by throwing in genre definitions left and right is both futile and degrading to the band in question. In the end though an album review is supposed to provide a decent description of the music, as well as of course an objective opinion of it. So what's a dude to do?

In the case of The Black League the above scenario quickly becomes a tough mission. The range of influences baked into the band's sound spans 40 years of rock music and defining them by genre is practically impossible. A simplistic definition would be to simply call them an energetic rock band with no holds barred when it comes to staying within a given genre. Another way to do it would be to list bands like Black Sabbath, Hurriganes, Judas Priest, Danzig, The Doors and maybe even Soundgarden and call them an ambitious amalgation of all the aforementioned. Either way works for me. In the end though The Black League sounds like...well, The Black League. They have managed to carve out a credible niche for themselves since their inception in the late 90's. While they have moved further and further away from the metal tendencies of the monumental "Ichor" album and towards a more traditional rock n' roll sound, you still clearly hear it's the same band. The line-up has changed a lot over the years but vocalist Taneli Jarva is still the ring-leader and as such he has kept the band on track. "Ghost Brothel" sees the band taking a step back, or a step forward if you will, by merging their latter day rock n' roll thunder with the epic, almost progressive, leanings of "Ichor" and its follow-up "Utopia A.D.". And it works like a charm!

There a plently of tracks on here to get your juices flowing but the heavier-than-thou monster that is Malabarista is a certain boner provider. In my opinion the best song ever penned by the band! Other stand-out tracks include the raunchy No Parole, as the title implies there is a Motörhead nerve to this one, and the Doors-esque Misfortune. Taneli Jarva sounds like Jim Morrision incarnate on the latter and the hammond flavoured verses further adds to this feel. The title track is another diamond. A dark and slow number with haunting melodies to die for. Apart from this magical quartet there are eight more killer tracks + an intro to sink your teeth into. If you're into any of the bands mentioned in this review or if you're just looking for some kick-ass rock n' roll you can't go wrong with "Ghost Brothel"!