The 69 Eyes

Ah, Finland. Frozen tundra of absolute mystery. The country that even the rest of Scandinavia makes fun of. The place whose most recent major international musical offering was Lordi, winner of the 2006 Eurovision song contest. (In case you missed that, Lordi is a metal band whose members dress as sometimes-winged monsters and whose winning entry was called ¨Hard Rock Hallelujah.¨) Still, it´s the home base of the 69 Eyes, and if you laugh at that, these glam-goth gods will probably kick your ass. Well, maybe not. The quintet may have dubbed itself the ¨original Helsinki vampires,¨ but its version of menace is so heavily made up, it´s more fun than scary. Think a darker Hanoi Rocks -- good-looking guys equally as talented with a guitar as with a can of Aqua Net. Singer Jyrki69 is the ultimate black-sheathed frontman, with the ultimate deep, dramatic death-rock drone and a lock-up-your-daughters set of acrobatic moves. Subject matter? Fast cars, fallen angels, blood, sadness, sex -- everything that matters. Oh, and in true sleaze-rock style, there´s even a song about Los Angeles. Thursday´s show supports the group´s latest full-length album, Angels. It´s also part of the group´s second tour of the United States this year. Maybe even vampires need a little sunshine.