Finnish traditional hard rock / metal band WISHING WELL has been featured regularly at 0dayrox as their brand of classic stuff inspired by the ’70s / ’80s and plenty of Hammond B3 & Moog in the best Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Rainbow pedigree is among our favorite styles.
“Sin And Shame” is the five-piece new opus, and a darn good one where the Scandinavians are perfecting their craft. Things got rough in their camp due to Covid and vocalist Rafael Castillo leaving, but “Sin And Shame shows them sticking to their guns almost like nothing happened.
New singer Pepe Tamminen sounds nothing like Rafael, and does an admirable performance all over the record with a very old-school delivery that fits the band like a cozy leather glove, and only adds to the band’s dedication to sounding as old school as possible, a dedication that has not waned in quality despite a few setbacks over the years.
This is still a band that’s obsessed with acts that helped craft the metal / hard rock genre before it had a name – Purple, Rainbow, Uriah Heep – which is easily seen with their songwriting sensibilities and the integral incorporation of organic and sometimes innovative Hammond B3 style and analog synthesizer playing.
This alongside the vintage amped guitar work, leads to a varied sound that ranges from the direct singalong opener “In the Line of Fire” to the melancholic “Soulrider,” though many songs are closer to the former style like the catchy, Moog-synthesizer infected “Space Invaders,” “Mistress of the Night,” and the closing instrumental “Flying Finn” – the title suggests it’s a tribute to a generation of long distance runners from Finland starting with Hannes Kolehmainen – R.I.P.
Title track “Sin and Shame” takes a biblical approach, with very few vocal verses of which instrumentals feel at home taking the lead with different textures and layers. I love in the bridge section the melodies fall before snapping back to the incredible tapping and solo section that feels larger than the cause.
All in all, WISHING WELL’s “Sin And Shame” is a traditional metal-heads dream. It will entice the oldest and the youngest of fans. Old-school hard rock hasn’t to be repetitive or carbon copy: these guys are pretty original adding their own spin and talent on these 11 strong tracks.
1. In The Line Of Fire
2. Soul Rider
3. Space Invaders
4. Mistress Of The Night
5. Lonely Road
6. Dogs Bark But The Caravan Rolls On
7. Sin And Shame
8. Heavenly Body
9. Dancing Across The Stars
10. The Golden Rule
11. Flying Finn