(DGR reviews the new album by Finland’s Poisonblack, which is out now on the Warner Music Finland label.)

We’re in a weird back half of the year as releases taper off in preparation for the mighty internet explosion of Top Ten lists. At the moment, it’s been a quiet lull with the occasional thunderclap of strong releases (see, for example, recent reviews for Glorior Belli, Otargos, and Skeletonwitch), and on this end, it’s afforded me time to really look at stuff outside of the general sphere of metal that we usually cover. I’ve been a longtime fan of the Finnish band Poisonblack, ever since 2006, so when the group put out a new CD this year I couldn’t help but check it out.

The band are not the heaviest thing we’ve covered, but for some reason a review of their new disc Lyijy (according to Google Translate: finnish for “Lead”) has been half-forming in the back of my head for some time. The group have, as of their last few releases, become something of a heavy rock band with a large blues influence in their riffs, drinking music for depressed bikers with a heavy layer of sleaze on top of it. Even though they’ve been around for a decade now, the name may not be overwhelmingly familiar to this side of the net since they aren’t our usual niche. However, Poisonblack are really good at what they do, and I have enjoyed everything they have put out. They’re one of my go-to bands when I want something more rock-feeling and less of the crushing heavy metal to which we willingly submit ourselves on a day-to-day basis.

Previously, I’ve rotated between the group’s latest three releases — A Dead Heavy Day, Of Rust and Bones, and Drive — but with Lyijy out now, does it qualify to join those discs for that rock mood? Continue reading »