HB „Frozen Inside”

Music: Symphonic Christian Rock/Metal
Website: http://www.hbmusic.net
Country: Finland
Cool songs: God Has All Glory, Frozen Inside, Ambition

HB is another Finnish band which is clutching at the success of NIGHTWISH. Formed in 2002, HB are mostly known in Finland, as their albums are sung in Finnish. ‘Frozen Inside’ seems to be an English version of their last ‘Enne’ disc. Probably they wanted to gain some popularity outside their motherland. With what result?

The symphonic power metal according to HB is restricted to strongly developed keyboard parts and a few guitar riffs. First of all, it is almost impossible to find something metal in any of the compositions. Instead you will find here very melodic motifs, mainly performed on keyboards, some cool solos (‘God Has All Glory’, ‘Ambition’) and very nice, clean vocals. And that should be everything. Let’s be serious, such album will not make it on the metal scene. It is just a cried out love pop rock worshipping God and Christianity. There is no power, not even an ounce, the instruments are used very rarely. Most of the time you will hear some keyboards and Johanna singing with her angelic voice. Sometimes it is pretty close to poetry fit to words. The lyrics are yet another part of the story. There are bands who worship Satan and other stupid things, who are called blasphemous and actually insult everybody everywhere. Shock and scandal as the best way to find some public. In terms of HB the situation is the other way round. I do not mind singing about Christianity, worshipping God, etc. but it should be done without flattering or even flattening it to the level of a sidewalk. The musicians are singing clichés. All those moralities could fill a huge balloon and raise it into the air. It is an empty pompousness without any reason. If it had been done with some brain involvement and ambition it would be really fine. Instead all you get is a pop rock strumming and some boring motifs which devastate the pleasure from listening. Of course, it is melodic, it is sweet, it is coherent and so divine. But it can really make you sick, there is simply too much of that pompousness which does not bring anything to this music. Really, a waste of time and money.

Although the music is sweet and sometimes even pink it is covered with a huge layer of sham, if not sham-shit even. There is too much of everything apart from music. Real authentic metal sound. Rock is O.K. but placing everything on sweet foundations will not do in metal world. As far as I am concerned, HB is a kind of pencils which are not too hard and not too soft, just average, the best for a newbie. Well, it seems that HB’s adventure with English public will end as quickly as it begun, because no one would even dare to glance at them. They are neither hard nor soft, they are dull, flat. Their music does not carry any emotions, most of the compositions are just boring and flat ballads. It is just an empty morality which will not change anything.

note: 3/10

Tracklist

1. Intro
2. God Has All Glory
3. It is Time
4. Be Aware
5. Holy Secret
6. Frozen Inside
7. Years Go By
8. Ambition
9. Way
10. The Lovesong

Total playing time 49:00

Line-up

Johanna Aaltonen – vocals
Antti Niskala – guitar (studio), keyboards (live), backing vocals
Janne Karhunen – guitar
Tuomas Mäki-Kerttula – bass, vocals
Sofia Ylinen – session live guitars
Markus Malin – drums