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To/Die/For - Wounds Wide Open review



Reviewer:
8.6

62 users:
7.81
Band: To/Die/For
Album: Wounds Wide Open
Release date: October 2006


01. Intro - Sorrow
02. Wicked Circle
03. Guilt Ridden State
04. Like Never Before
05. Under A Velvet Sky
06. Scar Diary
07. New Heaven
08. The Quiet Room
09. Liquid Lies
10. (I Just) Want You [Ozzy Osbourne cover]
11. Sorrow Remains
12. In Solitude [acoustic version] [japanese bonus]

To/Die/For, my beloved Finnish dudes that i've been following since their beginning and had the luck to see live the previous year, managed to return during 2006 with their 5th work up to date, "Wounds Wide Open"! "IV" was an apocalypse of melancholic and esoteric emotions and to tell the truth i didn't know what to expect this time, To/Die/For though offered their most mature work of their career up to date, taking their sound at new levels of maturity and intensity.

"Wounds Wide Open" is the most appropriate title for such an emotional piece of art, the compositions bleed with bittersweet melancholy, an element To/Die/For always had since the dawn of their existence, something they will always keep as their most beautiful characteristic, i hope! Jape Peratalo and the rest of the To/Die/For guys did once again their miracle and expressed everything in the most ideal way, taking care of every single detail and presenting perfection through their very own personal sound! I talked about maturity of sound above, well, yes, i totally believe this and something that played a major role on this factor has to be the fact that the line-up since "IV" has remained the same, which means the band-members got to know each other better and worked on a higher level of communication this time.

"Wounds Wide Open" is their most guitar-driven release up to date and the guitars have the first role in the overall attempt rocking the hell out of you, offering some really fabulous and well-expressed solos that are obvious through the whole duration of the album along with the heavily distorted riffing and the acoustic guitar chords! The drumming sounds very imposing at times, making the adrenaline at specific parts of some songs flow, but generally yeah, the rhythm section sounds pretty strong and interprets its role really well, blending with the atmosphere of the songs in the correct tempo in an unerring way. As for the keyboard/piano parts, they are always rewarding to the ears of the listener, emotional, floating like crystalized tears in the melancholically burdened atmosphere; at times they tend to sound slightly more symphonic, like in the beginning of "Wicked Circle" and the ending of "Scar Diary", an interesting addition if i may say! Talking about additions, the use of some female vocals is always welcome (like on "Liquid Dies"), especially when they are beautiful-sounding and they pace with the sound of the band and the song in which they partake, just like in To/Die/For's occasion! Jape sounds more mature than ever. Whether he sounds deeply saddened or ecstatic and intense he never fails to interpret his beautiful lyrics in the most appropriate way, his heart-rending way of presenting his lyrics to the audience has always been the trademark of To/Die/For's sound, a beautiful voice to dress the compositions with the missing link to perfection.

To/Die/For always had something with cover songs and this time they worked on an Ozzy Osbourne's renowned ballad, "I Just Want You", keeping the original air of the composition yet managing to add their distinctive sound in it. As for highlights, "Wounds Wide Open" is a highlight itself, a scarlet diamond, pacing with the colors of the beautiful cover, but if you want me to mention some really strong moments, then with the hand on the place where the heart lies, i will mention the melancholic and intense "Wicked Circle", the heart-rending "Under A Velvet Sky" and "New Heaven" and the most appropriate and doleful ending "Sorrow Remains".

Fans of the melancholic metal scene whose origin comes from Finland shouldn't skip to check "Wounds Wide Open" (along with Entwine's "Fatal Design" and Shamrain's "Deeper Into The Night" for 2006), it's an album you're going to love if To/Die/For means a lot to you!


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 8
Production: 9





Written on 23.09.2006 by "It is myself I have never met, whose face is pasted on the underside of my mind."


Comments

Comments: 9   Visited by: 51 users
24.09.2006 - 02:03
Veeken
Account deleted
can't wait to get my copy.
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24.09.2006 - 05:12
Mr Heartbreaker
Account deleted
I've only listened to this album through once... but the impression it gave me is that it will become my favorite T/D/F album to date.

However, unfortunately... T/D/F still is lacking that "Ground Breaking" song for me. I enjoy all of their albums... but not once single track of theirs is "amazing" to me. They're all good... but there's just something that I can't get over enough in order to be able to fall completely in love with any one track... perhaps it's the voice, music, or atmosphere?
Not sure... but regardless this seems to be a rather solid album.
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26.09.2006 - 00:03
Veeken
Account deleted
I just listened to this album, it is def. a good album. Most of the tracks are pretty rocking and its enjoyable from start to finish. But i would have to agree with mr. heartbreaker, none of the tracks are "amazing" or "groundbreaking."
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27.09.2006 - 01:55
Mr Heartbreaker
Account deleted
yes, as good as T/D/F's music may be, it seems as if they have just been trying to follow the basic goth rock formula these years...
But hey, why stop when it's working?
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27.09.2006 - 02:07
Rating: 9
KwonVerge
Odysseus
Where's this basic goth rock formula in T/D/F's sound?
----
Dec. 30, 1334.

...And the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on.
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28.09.2006 - 02:24
PrettyMao

Written by KwonVerge on 27.09.2006 at 02:07

Where's this basic goth rock formula in T/D/F's sound?



Well Professor, the answer is quite simple

Since F(rock) = ( Rock * (Fuck Yeah + Awesome)^2 ) / Cool

and if we evaluate the limits of the function above we can see that

lim f(rock) = Goth Rock
Cool --> Lame



I hope that clarifies things.

In any case, I am looking forward to hearing this album.


Regards,

PrettyMao
----
The Mao loves you all!!!

**KISS**KISS**
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28.09.2006 - 02:31
Rating: 9
KwonVerge
Odysseus
It didn't clarify a lot, but hell yeah, it was cool and so unexpected to see limit stuff in a comment about T/D/F
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Dec. 30, 1334.

...And the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on.
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15.12.2006 - 03:24
Rating: 9
Corintios

i think is one of the best albums of t/d/f.
The best song for me is sorrow remains, under a velvet sky and like never before.
However EPILOGUE i thinks is the better album:yes:.
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THE IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE ARE INVISIBLE TO MANKIND
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14.05.2009 - 01:42
Rating: 7
Italics

Well three years from now I have to look back at my comment that "this is looking to become my favorite t/d/f album" and disagree completely (yes, I used to be "Mr Heartbreaker.)

Several listens have lead me to the conclusion that this album is... well... quite bland really. A 7/10 I'd say. I guess it's good, just nothing more.

And it's good to know that even the band wants to be remembered by their older works and not their newer ones.
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But I Justify My Desire to No One
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