Space Avenue

Space Avenue presents a major lineup change for Waltari swapping the incumbent Sami Yli-Sirniö with veteran Finnish metal god Roope Latvala. Latvala, who was virtuoso in his previous band, Finnish legends Stone, had twiddled his thumbs for a bit before joining Waltari on a live/session basis eventually starring on two additional Waltari albums. He doesn't actually add too much to to the band, previous member Sami had a similiar style to Roope making it a fluid transition.

Though the album doesn't present an evolution for the band it does represent the first step in the streamlining of the band. They have given some production and sampling role to Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly. The album blasts off with the cosmic thrasher External with its powerful main riff and heavy thrashing mid section. I think Latvala must have had fun with the inventive riffs brought forward by the Waltari guys.

Far Away, one of the singles of the album follows the opening track and is a classic metal meets pop Waltari tune. It actually might be the catchiest tune on the album with its cosmic organs and fussy industrial-tinged vocals. The other single Blind Zone presents a groovier, rockier sound. It is a relatively straightforward Waltari track, with the outside influence being some rap/hip hop towards the middle of the song. The bass samples are large and booming, the production here is generally pretty large, even if it is mastered relatively quietly. Both single songs are catchy as hell.

This might be the most industrial of all of Waltari's albums. It can be attributed to the collaboration with Fulber, I think they also wanted to make a heavier statement due to the inclusion of the thrash metal legend Latvala. There are some pretty major industrial thrash metal tunes on here. Progression is a heavy aggro-industrial sounding tune. It has a pop/rocky chorus but the riffage here as mechanical as it is is also quite intricate and varied. Main Stream is another heavy thrasher. The guitars are always tastefully crushing in tone and this one really gets up there with the heavy and technically riffing provided by Mr. Latvala. Even a little bit of death thrashing at the end. This sound embodies a lot of the metal chic that would pop up in later Waltari albums. Walking in the Neon is a dance thrash metal track with some infection guest female vocals, one of the catchiest turns on the album.

Even though this album is more streamlined it never gets boring. For every time Kärtsy lacks experimentation he makes up for it with a great songwriting idea. Look Out Tonite is an ethnically-tinged industrial tune never reaching a metallic conclusion. It is reminiscent of a band like KONG if they had lyrics and vocals. The booming bass sounds are gripping and heavy. One of my favorite tracks is Prime Time which is a typical metal rocker going from mid paced to heavy thrash with an absolutely ridiculous shredding solo. The intro keyboard affect reminds me of sound effect from the N64 Mario games.

From front to back this is a shining release of industrial thrash-whateveryouwannacallWaltari. It is more streamlined than Big Bang but just as engaging and those guitars, they are fuckin nice... The band is having as much fun as ever here and it shows with quality material.

Recommended tracks: External, Progression, Main Stream, Far Away, Blind Zone, Walking in the Neon, Prime Time, Look Out Tonite