Italian band KeeN couldn’t really excite me in the beginning of their existence, but their “Dying Life” EP seemed to be a real ice breaker, and made me keep a closer eye on this band. According to the other reviews on that release (it recieved 14 times a “top demo” title!) I didn’t stand alone on this quest, and so KeeN was forced to come with a new and quality album soon. And, so they did, or at least they tried: “Dramas In Formaldehyde” has been released on december 26th, 2006. Is this release able to continue the succes they recieved with “Dying Life”? Read this review and you’ll know the answer quite soon!

After the intro, ‘Dramas In Formaldehyde’ kicks off with the title track. This track contains sampling that reminds me a little to the Adams family, though it happens to be an easy listening gothic rock likely track. The chorus is constructed quite well. ‘I Don’t Care’ is a more powerful track, with bashing drums and mechanized guitars. The chorus, specially the sampling, is one that gets stuck in your mind quite easely. The piano intermezzo, accompanied by accoustic guitarwork, is one that fits the song excellent. ‘Stuntman’ is a song that I already heard before, because it was featured on KeeN’s MySpace profile. This is one of the faster tracks on the album, with some excellent EBM sampling and a drifting bassline. ‘Step By Step’ has the best synth line on the record, and yes this was a hard desicion. The vocals of Shirley are a little Marilyn Manson likely on this track. ‘Lost My Pride’ is maybe the one track on this album that comes the closest to the label ‘industrialized metal’, with the KMFDM likely guitarwork, the crazy sampling and the excellent drumworks. ‘Dead In Vain’ is a dark and catchy track, with some excellent synth work and powerful guitars. The track is easy listening, and the vocal line is catchy here and there. This all combined make this track my favourite one of the album. ‘Can Feel’ is a total different track, with orchestral works and accoustic guitars. This one can be described as the ballad of the album I suppose.

With this album, KeeN has proven that they managed to stay on the high level of ‘Dying Life’, and that they even managed to book some progression at certain points. The vocal sessions are more mature and steady, and the synth works sound more fitting. This all combined together should explain the vote.

Vote: 92 / 100

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