Released: 2007
If Bruce Dickinson was still in his twenties, and Finnish, he would quite likely make an album that sounds like this. Machine Men evolved out of an Iron Maiden covers band, and their heritage is apparent in everything they do. Indeed, what Primal Fear is to Pain Killer, Machine Men is to The Chemical Wedding, so much so that not only did this band take its name from a song off that album, with Circus of Fools they have come as close to recreating the vibe of it as is likely possible without Bruce, Adrian, Roy et al being involved. Mixing that with a touch of Queensrÿche and chucking in a bit of 80s style thrash, Machine Men has made a thoroughly enjoyable CD.
With all thought of originality left sealed up somewhere they can't escape, these guys instead concentrate on writing catchy, melodic heavy metal. There's a definite classic feel to the material on display, but there is also a modern spirit along with a production that is crisp and crunchy in all the right places without that typical plastic sound to which so many European metal album fall victim.
As mentioned, by far the most noticeable aspect of this band's sound is its similarities to classic Iron Maiden, and in this regard Toni Parvianien mimics Dickinson so well that on "Tyrannize" I thought they'd brought the man himself in for a cameo. Nevertheless, this isn't complete Maiden worship. There's some sharp and crunchy thrash sprinkled about as well, all built around tight songwriting and razor-sharp, hook-laden riffs that dozens of bands would kill to write. For anyone who just wants to hear some new metal done the way it used to be done, and done stunningly well, Circus of Fools is well worth a listen.
- Circus of Fools
- No Talk Without the Giant
- Ghost of the Seasons
- Tyrannise
- The Shadow Gallery
- Where I Stand
- Border of the Real World
- Dying Without a Name
- The Cardinal Point
Rating: 78%
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