What a long, strange trip it's been for Finland's
Entwine
, from their mid-'90s death metal origins, through their early goth metal efforts, leading into what's essentially a modern radio rock album in their sixth full-length, 2009's
Painstained
. Seriously, wipe off that resilient eyeliner and the studiously morose looks seemingly super-glued onto these guys' faces, and they may as well be
Nickelback
or
Daughtry
-- with keyboards, brains, and a distinctly European aesthetic. That last bit is crucial: it's precisely why the keening vocals, swirling synths, and Neanderthal riffs of
"Dying Moan"
suggest a fusion between
's defunct countrymen
Sentenced
and Floridian corporate rockers
Creed
. The electronic production on
"Greed of Mankind,"
meanwhile, points directly to
Linkin Park
, while the slow-marching depression and vocal harmonies of
"Lost in My Denial"
fall squarely in the post-
Alice in Chains
universe inhabited by most of these mainstream rock bands. Don't misunderstand, though: far from a condemnation, these references only help to highlight what a more imaginative and versatile band like
can do with this catchy collision between power and hooks -- the new millennium equivalent to AOR, if you will. And that essentially boils down to a few irresistible hard rock singles like
"Soul Sacrifice,"
"Strife,"
and
"Dead by Silence"
that, to their immense credit, also manage to exude real emotion instead of glassy-eyed misogyny (thank you Mr.
Kroeger
). The end results are still not for everyone -- certainly not the heavy metal set that first supported
-- but anyone seeking appealing, accessible hard rock could do a lot worse. Rocking out for the sake of rocking out is not a sin. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia