Lazy Bonez came together in 2012 when members of various Finnish bands met up and thought it might be fun to get together and record as a new act. So we have main composers Jaakko Kauppinen (bass, D-Cayed, Exception To The Rule) and Markku Mähönen (guitar, ETTR) joining forces with Tommi Salmela (vocals, Tarot), Mikko Niiranen (guitar, D-Cayed), Pecu Cinnari (drums, Tarot), and Janne Tolsa (keyboards, Tarot). Then if that wasn’t enough they also added lots of guest musicians such as Marco Hietala (Tarot, Nightwish) & Udo Dirkschneider (U.D.O., ex-Accept) who duet on one number while Stefan Schwarzmann (U.D.O., Accept) also performs on some.
The result is a well structured, over the top, symphonic melodic metallic band that brings together copious guitars with orchestral keyboards and power metal in a way that is inviting and accessible without becoming radio fodder. Well, apart from the cover version. I am generally not a fan of pop music, but have been surprised with the way that some songs can be transformed into something quite different. One number that immediately springs to mind is “Oops I Did It Again”, which has been changed into something quite different by both Richard Thompson and Children of Bodom. In each case they took the original song and totally changed the context and approach and made something that was far superior, in very different ways. But, “Poker Face” is a plodding metallic mess than is actually worse than that by Lady Gaga – quite some statement. A real shame, as it detracts from what is actually a fine power metal album. It will be interesting to see if this becomes more than a one-off project.
www.lazybonez.fi
