Wings that Bliss - Decipher

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." - this famous quote may have been spoken by the fictionary Juliet in Shakespeare's immortal classic, however the meaning has never been as relevant and tangible as it is with Finland's recently formed duo "Wings that Bliss". Ok, the name doesn't quite suggest a sincere, resolute intention, but anyone who heard previous demo "Remediation" has long since stopped caring about the band name.

WtB consists of Aleksi Martikainen (Vocals, Programming, Lyrics), and
Kimmo Huhtala (Programming, Music). As a devout follower and champion of the underground Finnish scene, I am very keen to ensure that this act doesn't follow in the footsteps of dozens of excellent bands and drop off the radar too early (I'm talking to YOU,"X.I.N").

Marketed as Electro-Industrial with a hint of Chillout, this curious combination carries the heavy burden of potentially doing what so many bands before them have done, and tried too hard to introduce a sound that simply doesn't work.

In the case of opener, "Scarlet", Wings that Bliss are off to a celestial start. The bass line is decidely ever-present, it formulates and re-invents itself at the right time, to carry this track through its duration to a memorable peak. The synth that weaves in and out of it is both melodic and extremely danceable, and the vocals are performed with distortion and abrasion, to give this project an Aggrotech inspired sound.

"Decipher" is heavier, faster, and more teutonic, and despite its energy and ideas, I worry about this track. I'm playing this CD through a decent subwoofer, and compared to Scarlet, the bass is far harder to locate on this track. That should maybe be disregarded, as this is a self-produced, self-released demo, and to be completely frank, the production is of a far higher level than it should be. Bass aside, the track is also above average, and the tracks on here are as easy to recognise on a dancefloor as anything :Wumpscut: released on Wreath of Barbs. Comparing these two acts is maybe unfair, as very few release can share a common ground with Rudy's legendary act - especially a demo by an act less than a year old.

"Ignition Inside"; I believe is a remake of a track by 'Shrine of Downcoming' one of the horde of acts I previously mentioned that didn't get very far. This is completely acceptable, as it is my belief that one of the members of this act was previously involved in SoD.

"Vertigo" takes this demo to dizzying heights (oh dear), and although the promised hint of chillout doesn't seem very noticeable at all, It appears that we've actually discovered a very talented new band indeed. This track stands out as well as Scarlet did, and although the Finnish scene is small, the bands that already conquer it (Beati Mortui, Hydrocyanic, Machine Park) have another horse entering the race. Finally, we wind down this introduction with the slow, calming, and rather beautiful "Hollow Reflection". There's the goddamn chillout...

The track is begat from the long chain of softer, more acoustic ballad style tracks that Industrial bands often use to close an album. It's also pretty effing gorgeous.

What's in a name?
They got it right.

Heavenly at times, and blissful at others. Watch this space. Oct 06 2011