When the third album by I WALK THE LINE was released in 2008 and I happened to get my hands on it, I was thrilled. I had never heard a sound like that before. Great melodies met often dark, dreamy, yet demanding keyboards. It was a fantastic mix of classic wave and punk rock. Hardly had I heard the band when they were already playing in Berlin, and since then I haven't missed a gig by I WALK THE LINE in Berlin. The band is also great live.
So I was quite excited when it was announced that the band would release their fifth album in 2010. Now “Language of the Lost” is in front of me. A title that seamlessly connects to the first album “Black Wave Rising.”
Upon first listen, I was rather reserved with my judgment, after all, the band had set the bar high with “Black Wave Rising.” By now, the new album has gone through a few rounds with me, and yet my initial impression has hardly changed.
The songs are still carried by the distinctive and truly great voice of singer Ville. Additionally, there are still the dark and dreamy keyboard melodies that Anna extracts from her machine, which are even more present than on the predecessor album. The drums and especially the guitars are more in the foreground this time, making everything sound quite loud and somewhat noisy. In my opinion, there is simply too much going on. Sometimes it just becomes a sound mush, against which the singer Ville yells, and he does so elegantly, but it’s just more noise, and the good melodies sometimes get drowned out. That’s a shame because I WALK THE LINE knows a lot about melodies. The songwriting, however, is more concrete than on the predecessor album and much clearer in its statements. It describes the cold world, the world where one is mostly without real friends. A world where humanity is not in demand. Songs like “Neon lights” or “Kill your friends” emphasize this.
“Language of the Lost” is still a good, dark album. It is still absolutely I WALK THE LINE. Anyone who enjoys powerful wave-punk cannot overlook the Finns.
Soon, the five-piece will also be going on tour in Germany again.
There, you can also buy the vinyl version of this album, which is available in colored 180 g.
