WARMEN - Beyond Abilities
March 10, 2002, 22 years ago
(Spinefarm)
Sophomore solo effort by Children Of Bodom keyboardist, Janne Warman, along with vocal help from Kimberly Goss (Sinergy) and Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius). Of the 11 tracks, only four originals, and the cover of Heart's 'Alone', possess lyrics. The title track (re)introduces the listener to young Warman's frenetic style. On 'The Spark', featuring the Strat's singer, the band slows things to a typical power metal pace, similar to that employed by their more famous countrymen. Easy to hear why Kotipelto was chosen. When next the voices are silent, on 'Trip To...', Warmen get back to what they do best, blazing speed, but this time, it's guitarist Antii Warman, the keyboardist's brother, who steps into the spotlight. 'Dawn' sees guest Pasi Nykanen adopt an industrialized death growl, on a track that fails to mesh with the others. On 'Alone', Goss adds her voice to the piano-dominated ballad. 'Confessions' could be a lounge singing piano player mumbling to himself, but it's audio samples from the movie Amadeus. Fittingly, it leads directly into 'Salieri Strikes Back,' a lively number where Warman makes his keys sound like a harpsichord.
