IV

After recently reviewing To/Die/For’s classic second album ‘Epilogue’, it occurred to me that it was a grave misfortune that their mighty album ‘IV’ went reviewless. Hence, a further foray into the exceptional work of these melodically gothic Finns is required, and it's a task that I accept with indefatigable relish.

I’ll start by immediately reiterating that if polished, slick and highly melodic gothic metal with a deep male vocal croon is your concept of living hell, then steer clear. If, on the other hand, you have a soft spot for Finnish melodic metal, with lashings of 80s pop sensibilities and huge and triumphant choruses, well you’re in for a life changing experience once you hear the first four To/Die/For albums (and an inversely negative one when you hear their final album ‘Cvlt’, but the less said about that the better).

Jumping two albums on from 'Epilogue', 'IV', released in 2005, is as good as anything they've released, and I'm very tempted to call it their best.

One of my overused terms in the ‘Epilogue’ review was “melodic”, and I’m at risk of doing the same in this review. To/Die/For took the melodic structures of doom and gothic metal of the mid 90s, added an 80s energy, and turned the melodies up to 11. Where ‘Epilogue’ maintained a connection with a darker, almost graveyard, tone, ‘IV’ sheds all pretensions of morbidity and skyrockets into the stratosphere of fun and slightly cheesy gothic pop. It's an absolute joy to listen to.

Significantly, 'IV' is the band’s first album without key member Tonmi Lillman, yet singer Jape steps up and takes over all of the songwriting, and what’s he’s done is essentially written some of the catchiest tracks of the band's existence. One of the first things that is evident is the reduction in the presence and impact of the keyboards. Yes, they’re still there, but are mostly used as background atmosphere compared with past use where they sometimes dominated the tracks. The guitars play a slightly more significant role here, which tends to suit the extra boost of energy that these songs have.

Energy they have in abundance. The second track, ‘This World is Made for Me’ is a triumphant fist-pumping anthem, with incredibly high kinetic thrust. The two singles, ‘Chaotic Me’ and ‘Little Deaths’ are two of the greatest songs you’ll hear in the upbeat gothic metal genre, as good as anything written by Sentenced and The 69 Eyes, and absolutely smashing also-rans like Charon and Entwine, who didn’t stand a chance. The former has a huge mid-paced, almost bouncy chorus, while the latter will have you singing along at the top of your lungs after a couple too many glasses of red. Opening track 'Autumn Forever' sounds like Katatonia on a party drug, ‘No Turning Back’ contains a stilted yet rhythmic and engaging verse structure, while ‘Endlessly’, which is cornily written for Jape’s daughter, has yet another wonderful singalong chorus that hits all the high notes.

Not all is perfect, however. The U2 cover is not bad, but I tend to skip it, probably out of prejudice as much as anything else, and ‘Last Breath’ ends the album with a morose and atmospheric meander. It's the only track not written by Jape. It’s a decent end but I wouldn’t characterise it as earth shattering. Minor gripes, but there they are.

Once again, the sheer professionalism of the sound is so impressive. Everything is tight, sounds beautiful and not a note is out of place. This isn't the 18th century gothic metal of the mid 90s - this is all ultra modern and state of the art. Even without Lillman the band is firing on all cylinders. With a crisp Finnvox mix by Mikko Karmila, the whole thing is ear candy. Album artwork shows the faces of not one by two women as well as the mandatory rose, this time in vivid colour, which matches the brighter colours of the music therein. The booklet with lyrics and cool band shots is present and correct.

As in my review of ‘Epilogue’, I caution true metal warriors that To/Die/For may not be for them, but I think if your idea of weak sauce music is anything less extreme than ‘Hell Awaits’, you probably get the picture by now and have stopped reading. For those who love Sentenced and Katatonia’s more upbeat cuts, as well as the best that 80s cheesy rock has to offer, you’re going to love this album, I guarantee it.