Reviews of "Insomnia":
A review on the MelodicRock.Com website, rating 84/100
Human Temple are a hard bunch to pigeon hole, which might just work in their favor, as originality in rock n roll isn't a hard thing to come up with. The Finish rock band play a mixture of European melodic hard rock with softer more AOR moments – all wrapped up in a somewhat dark and moody package. The vocals of Janne Hurme have a definite accent to them, but the power behind the delivery should compensate. It's a very well produced album – considering it's a debut album and the band are somewhat unknown. The opening track I'm Sorry is about as powerful an opening as you could wish for – the pounding rhythm is complemented nicely by some strong vocals and a hook to hang your hat on. They then follow that up with Goin' All The Way - a more uptempo rocker with another great hook. I found Dream Child to be a little plodding, but Out Of Love is a great melodic rocker with an AOR heart. I'm also impressed by the piano ballad Desert Rain. Passionate and powerful and just a little bit different. There are a couple of fillers, or at least the quality of the aforementioned tracks isn't carried throughout, but overall the consistency is very good. The Bottom Line:
The guys have recorded a good debut album that should see them pick up some fans – especially those that are partial to European and Scandinavian melodic hard rock. But there are a few areas where they could and will improve – such as creating a bit more variety in the songwriting department. A second album will be anticipated.
Andrew McNeice, 5th of July, 2004
A review on the Lords Of Metal E-Zine- Rating: 9/10
The aor-highlight of the month was done by the young Finnish band Human Temple. With excellent melodic rocksongs like ‘I’m Sorry’, ‘Goin All The Way’ and the incredibly pretty ballad ‘Forever’, they not only prove that they are quite accomplished songwriters, they also show that attracting the in Finlans well-known singer Janne Hurme was a stroke of genius. The combination of well-written hardrock (Ten, Harem Scarem, Fair Warning) and amazing vocals is a winner. The eleven songs presented on ‘Insomnia’ are all little pearls inside a melodic rock-oister. Hooks, loops and melodies: these guys know how to compose a great song. Strong, realistic lyrics round off this cd perfectly.
Ferdi, May 2004
A review on the Strutter'zine Website- Rating: 9/10
Last year we reviewed a demo of this Finnish band, and back then I knew this band was bringing something special into the returning AOR/Melodic Rockscene, and now with their debut CD release on MTM MUSIC I can confirm that HUMAN TEMPLE is a true winner in the AOR/Melodic Rockworld. This CD is filled with high class AOR/Melodic Rock in the classic Scandi style, so all fans of DAVINCI, TREAT, TALISMAN, BAD HABIT and also HAREM SCAREM and FAIR WARNING fans need to buy this awesome album asap. The musicians in the band play their instruments very well, such as guitarist Jari Salo and also lead singer Janne Hurme (who happens to have sold over 150,000 albums in Finland as a solo artist!) sings very well. There are guest appearances by members of NIGHTWISH, SONATA ARCTICA, ALTARIA and URBAN TALE. 11 songs are on the CD, which also has a big sound (mastered by Mika Jussila at the famous Finnvox Studio). The CD holds many highlights, such as the superb uptempo AOR/Melodic Rockers “I’m sorry” (very catchy chorus a la HAREM SCAREM debut), “Goin’ all the way”, “Out of love”, “Walk between the shadows” and “Till’ the day I die”, the midtempo AOR song “On a night like this” and the midtempo Progmetalish “Judas my brother”. This is by far one of the top releases in the AOR/Melodic Rockworld, so go check it out asap if you count bands like SHY, FAIR WARNING, HAREM SCAREM, DAVINCI and TREAT to your favourite acts...
Gabor Kleinbloesem, May 2004.
A review in BURRN! magazine, Japan,
rating 84/100
A review on www.metalcentral.net website,
Sweden, rating 6/10
Heavy Metaltrenden under 80-talet satte inte bara sina spår i Sverige, utan även bland massorna i Finland. 1986 startade två tonåringar i Åbo sitt första band. Det var sångaren Janne Hurme och trummisen Petri Lehto som startade embryot till Human Temple. Efter att ha spelat med olika band så blev den gode Janne så småningom schlagersångare, men han glömde aldrig sina rötter. Därför kunde i alla fall Human Temple bildas 1998. Under 2002 skickades en första demo runt bland skivbolag och webzines. Man fick bra respons och bestämde sig 2003 för att spela in sin debut. För att addera lite extra så bjöd man in några finska kanongitarrister till studion. Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish), Jani Liimatainen (Sonata Arctica) och Erkka Korhonen (Urban Tale) deltar alla på inspelningen. Med den färdiga plattan i handen fick man sedan kontrakt med MTM. Hur låter det då? Jo, detta är ännu ett släpp med traditionell hårdrock i modern tappning, som det senaste året blivit allt vanligare. Låtarna bär definitivt 80-talsprägel. ”I´m Sorry” är en skön öppnare med riktigt klistrig refräng. Den bjuder på ett snyggt körarrangemang, och en skön orgel som minner om Deep Purple. Det är plattans bästa spår. Nästa låt, ”Goin All The Way” är också bra, med sitt luftiga arrangemang. En annan favorit är ”Judas My Brother”. En tung sak med lite mer modernt sound. Mellan dessa dyker de upp en del fillers, men ingen direkt dålig låt. Man blandar upp med några ballader, vilket ger ett balanserat intryck. En solid release.
Tommy Silfvenius
A review on www.hardsounds.it website,
Italy, rating 68/100
Arrivano direttamente dalle terre nordiche gli Human Temple, five-pieces band dedita ad un hard-rock melodico di tipico
stampo scandinavo, con riferimenti più o meno marcati alle proposte già edite da TNT e Ignition.
"Insomnia", questo il titolo del loro debut album, è formato da undici tracce perfettamente inserite nel quadro di cui sopra, contorniate da una produzione più che accettabile trattandosi appunto di disco di esordio. I musicisti dimostrano di sapere appieno il fatto loro, evitando di inserire nelle canzoni virtuosismi inutili, a vantaggio del feeling e del puro coinvolgimento emotivo dei vari brani. Della line-up segnalata mi sento di citare, tra gli altri, il singer Janne Hurme, il quale possiede una timbrica vocale vicina per certi tratti a quella di Simon Abbots, frontman degli inglesi Pulse.
Quello che sembrerebbe invece mancare ad un'uscita come questa è invece un songwriting particolarmente accattivante, il quale risulta essere presente solo in alcune sporadiche tracce, come ad esempio l'apripista "I'm Sorry", dal chorus veramente degno di nota, e la seguente "Goin' All The Way", due tracce di sicuro ed innegabile valore, che purtroppo non vengono bissate da ulteriori prove dello stesso livello compositivo, utili per confermare tutte le buone idee sin qui mostrate. Il risultato di tutto ciò è una seconda parte del cd leggermente noiosa, capace di regalare solo pochi spunti degni di nota, e colpevole primaria dell'abbassamento qualitativo generale del lavoro.
Detto ciò risulta quasi scontato l'invito all'acquisto solo per tutti i melodic rockers più patiti ed alla costante ricerca delle novità, i quali potranno aggiungere un ulteriore pezzo alla propria zuccherosa discografia. Ok come debutto, ma dalla seconda uscita sarà lecito attendersi di più.
Human Temple, positiva (ma non eccezionale) new entry del panorama hard melodico.
Zorro11, August 2004
A review on jeejacquet.free.fr website,
France
Fondé en 1998 par le chanteur Janne hurme et le batteur Petri Lehto, Human Temple aura patienté 6 ans avant de dégoter un contrat et de pouvoir enregistrer un 1er album. Les 2 partenaires ont, entre-temps, participé à différents projets et complété le line-up du band. Insomnia possède de très bons éléments mais il est fort dommage que le son de batterie soit aussi affreux ! Le mastering a pourtant eu lieu au fameux Finnvox studio ! Plutôt teinté 80's, le style est bien maîtrisé et trouve un élan certain de par le jeu de guitare savoureux de Jari Salo. Des confrères finlandais sont d'ailleurs venus pimenter certaines pistes avec leurs soli : Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish), Jani Liimatainen (Sonata Arctica) et Erkka Korhonen (Urban Tale). Belle brochette de fines lames ! Je citerai bien évidemment l'impeccable parcours vocal de Janne Hurme dont la voix chaude apporte beaucoup à l'album. Certes, cela n'a jamais suffi à rendre un album intéressant mais si les morceaux ont, en plus, une âme (ce qui est le cas), c'est top ! A vrai dire, chose rarissime, tout est bon ici et seul un petit titre s'avère faiblard. Human Temple excelle en matière de mélodies et bien qu'elles n'aient en soi rien de très novateur, elles sont efficaces à 100% ! Je précise que les claviers sont assez présents et utilisés de façon virile. On aimera " I'm Sorry " pour l'entrain de son refrain, " Dream Child " et " On A Night Like This " pour leur ambiance, leur magie aussi ; les 2 ballades parce qu'elles sont toutes 2 réussies, conduites par le piano de Tony Green et mettent encore plus en valeur la voix du chanteur. Mais le mieux est de vous laisser découvrir cet album qui remonte le niveau des productions hard FM de ces derniers mois. Human Temple s'impose déjà comme un outsider sérieux ; apportez leur votre soutien de toute urgence !
Jee Jacquet, August 2004.
A review on www.eutk.net, Italy, rating 7/10
Le rigide temperature dei paesi del nord Europa sembrano avere un effetto più che positivo sui cittadini musicisti o aspiranti tali. Dopo Nightwish, Altaria e Sonata Arctica la Finlandia regala i natali ai cinque componenti degli Human Temple, giunti alla prima fatica discografica con l'etichetta tedesca MTM dopo una serie di demo autoprodotti.
Gli Human Temple nascono nel 1998 con una line-up che vanta la presenza di Janne Hurme, ex cantante pop il cui singolo "Kirje" è considerato la più grande hit che l'intero territorio finnico abbia avuto negli ultimi dieci anni.
Tre demo registrati tra il 2001 e il 2002 bastano per far entrare i cinque artisti nei celeberrimi Finnvox Studios per dare vita a "Insomnia", il loro primo, promettente album.
Le atmosfere retrò inneggianti ai gloriosi anni '80 e gli accenni pop non faranno urlare al miracolo né impressioneranno gli ascoltatori per l'originalità ma "Insomnia" è un album ben prodotto e dall'ottimo song-writing che ospita fraseggi e melodie ficcanti e oltremodo piacevoli da ascoltare.
Quattro gli ospiti illustri: i chitarristi Erkka Korhonen (Urban Tale), Jani Liimatainen (Altaria, Sonata Arctica) e Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish), e Taage Laiho (Altaria) ai backing vocals.
"Insomnia" inizia con "I´m Sorry" e "Goin´All The Way", due brani veloci che sfoggiano cori AOR e atmosfere pop, ben orchestrati e non troppo pretenziosi; in particolare "Goin´All The Way" ricorda "Runaway Train", grande successo dei Soul Asylum dei primi anni ´90.
Toni più solenni per "Dream Child", midtempo che vede Hurme impegnato in un tono di voce più basso rispetto ai primi due brani mentre le chitarre inseguono i cori in un suggestivo effetto.
Ritorno al pop in pompa magna per "Out Of Love" che, fatta eccezione per un bel tappeto di basso che sostiene tutto il brano, non sarebbe stato male in un disco di un qualsiasi artista pop in auge negli anni ´80.
Segue la struggente ballad "Desert Rain" che inizia in toni sommessi con un duetto voce-piano per poi far salire la tensione subito dopo il primo ritornello. Grande interpretazione di Hurme che, senza voler strafare, dona al brano momenti toccanti.
La successiva "Animal" non brilla di luce propria, soprattutto a causa del ritornello cacofonico e della melodia piatta e creatrice di inevitabile tedio...
Intro di Keyboards quasi identico a quello di "Making Love", tratto dall´album "Eclipse" dell´axe-man svedese Yngwie Malmsteen, per "Walk Between The Shadows", brano poco impegnativo e molto simile ai pezzi contenuti in "Omega", ultimo lavoro degli Alyson Avenue (anch´essi svedesi).
"Judas My Brother" sfoggia un inizio in toni epici degno di una colonna sonora ed è sostenuto da un lavoro di chitarre
piuttosto graffiante e da solenni riffs di tastiere. Anche in questo caso é rintracciabile una forte somiglianza tra il pre-ritornello di questo brano e il pre-ritornello di "Desert Dreams" degli svedesi (!) Shiva.
"On A Night Like This" è il tributo degli Human Temple ai Survivor, formazione storica la cui eredità viene ampiamente reclamata da un numero impressionante di nuove (e vecchie) band AOR.
Ennesimo scivolone nel pop per "Till´ The Day That I Die", costruito su un ritornello di (troppo) facile presa e tastiere prese in prestito dalle più famose canzoni dei Toto.
Il viaggio in "Insomnia" termina con la ballad pianistica "Forever", in cui la voce calda e pulita di Hurme è la grande protagonista.
Non c´è dubbio che questo sia un disco facilmente assimilabile e probabilmente costruito in modo da compiacere il mercato e rendersi adatto ai passaggi radiofonici. In effetti proprio questi sono i punti di forza del primo lavoro degli Human Temple, abili musicisti ma mai troppo narcisi, cratori di brani piacevoli e destinabili a un ampio pubblico.
Strizzare l´occhio al mercato non fa mai male; peccato l´aver dato poco spazio agli ospiti illustri che hanno prodotto riffs di chitarra difficilmente distinguibili da quelli del chitarrista ufficiale invece di dare a questa release quel valore aggiunto che generalmente ci si aspetta da nomi di questo calibro.
Inoltre viene spontaneo consigliare al vocalist qualche lezione di pronuncia della lingua inglese, unico vero neo del suo lavoro.
Elena Mascaro
A review on getmetal.com, Sweden, rating 4/5
Melodisk hårdrock a´la 80-tal. Mossigt, tråkigt, har hört det en miljon gånger förr! Men vad gör det när låtarna sitter som en smäck!
Det är toppnivå på musikerna. Sången är utomordentlig och som om det inte vore nog så har Human Temple samlat ihop ett gäng strängbändare från Sonata Arctica , Urban Tale och Nightwish.
Om man ska katalogisera musik så hamnar Human Temple i samma fack som tidigare recenserade Token ”Punch”.
Human Temple grundades 1998 av sångaren Janne Hurme och trummisen Petri Lehto.
Janne har ett förflutet som pop/schlager artist i Finland och har i sitt eget namn sålt 150 000 album, inte dåligt! Nå, som tur var så tog Janne sitt förnuft till fånga och resultatet är här, bandets första cd album. Ett album som innehåller 11 starka låtar.
Finlands sak är vår.
Hyvvä Suomi…
Harri Rehula, August 2004
A review on Metal Heart Website, Sweden, rating 7,5
Jag har stort förtroende för Sweden Rock Magazine men blaskans melodiösa hårdrocks-korrespondent Per Hesselrud har nu banne mig bränt sina samtliga broar. Att tilldela Human temples debutgiv ynka tre poäng är inte bara helgerån utan även ett opåkallat hån i ansiktet på alla fans av genren. Må så vara att han inte gillade skivan men då bör någon bättre vetande omplacera mannen ifråga så han får intervjua traktens lokala dansbandsakter för skvallerblaskan ”Hänt i veckan” istället.
Jag är fullt medveten om att jag i och med ett sådant uttalande kan uppfattas som arrogant, och visst, musik är en konstform och således ett synnerligen subjektivt ämne, men de facto är att om man gillar melodikryddad hårdrock så gillar man Human temple. Punkt.
Inledande ”I’m sorry” bemänger sig med genrens allra finaste verk, ”Dream child” spatserar omkring och stoltserar med sin ytterst vitala refräng och ”Walk between the shadows” avverkar ungefär samma procedur. Janne Hurme vars stämband man kan lokalisera till mikrofonen är i hemlandet Finland mest känd för sina bravader i schlagerfestivalen, en karriär som inte enkom behöver betyda negativa saker. Faktiskt. Hur som haver, en strängbändstrio har till inspelningen av skivan hyrts in, en trio som bör få power metal-anhängare att vakna till. Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish), Jani Liimatainen (Sonata arctica) och Erkka Korhonen (Urban tale), skulle det kunna vara till belåtenhet?
Med urläckra gitarrsolo-turer, fräscht och snyggt sammanfogade sångslingor, förstaklassiga sångprestationer, kristallklar produktion och alldeles lagom mjäkiga refränger, så bör man väl med största sannolikhet nå långt? Det stämmer, väldigt bra till och med. Ett fåtal låtar (exempelvis ”Animal”) är väl på gränsen att riva den högt placerade ribban men det är i sammanhanget som en piss i Mississippi. Tämligen obetydlig alltså.
David Noaksson, June, 2004
A review in ROCK IT Magazine, Germany, rating 7,5
Vergleichbare Bands: Treat
Rough translation on the way!
Birgitt Schwanke, June, 2004
HUMAN TEMPLE sind eine recht neue Band aus dem schier unerschöpflichen Repertoire an skandinavischen Rockbands. Erstaunlicherweise kommen sie trotz des Melodic Rock-Sounds aus Finnland, das ansonsten eher für die härteren Töne zuständig ist. Die Band um Sänger Janne Hurme, der in seinem Heimatland ein vielgefragter Schlager-Star ist, weiß durch tolle Melodien und Hooks zu überzeugen und hat mit "Walk Between The Shadows" eine Überhymne am Start. Nicht alle Stücke erreichen diese außergewöhnliche Klasse, aber für Fans von TREAT oder SKAGARACK wird hier dennoch einiges geboten. "On A Night Like This" hat sogar einen leichten EUROPE-Touch. Das Album wartet mit einer ganzen schar an Gaststars aus der finnischen (Metal-)Szene auf, die hier und da einige jedoch nicht weiter erwähnenswerte Soli einstreuen. Was zählt, ist die Musik von HUMAN TEMPLE, die sich mit "Insomnia" neben HOUSE OF MIRRORS und URBAN TALE gleich in die führende Riege der finnischen Melodic Rock-Bands vorspielen konnten. Beim nächsten Album sollten die Jungs sich jedoch mal einen Image-Berater suchen, denn weder Album noch Titel passen wirklich zur Musik.
A review on the Rockservatio.es website, Spain. Rating 4/5
Otra vez desde las heladas tierras de Finlandia, fuente inagotable de buenas bandas en los últimos años, nos llega el disco de debut de esta banda que navega viento en popa sobre el mar del hard rock al mas puro estilo ochentero.
Los miembros del grupo no es que se diga que son unos novatos en esto de la música, pues llevan muchos años ya en ella cada uno en diferentes bandas de cierto renombre por su Finlandia natal.
La banda se formó como tal en 1998, grabando un par de maquetas que se movieron durante un tiempo por todo el país con una buena aceptación por parte de la gente.
En 2003 se completó lo que actualmente es la formación de la banda y se llegó a una estabilidad que sin duda le hacia falta para despegar definitivamente. El line-up actual está compuesto por los dos miembros fundadores, el cantante Janne Hurme y el batería Petri Letho más el bajista Harri Kinnunen y el guitarra Jari Salo.
ñonazos de autentico hard rock que sin duda agrietaran tus oídos con una producción genial a cargo del propio guitarrista del grupo Jari Salo, y una masterización sobresaliente ejecutada por el gran Mika Jussila, como no en la mas prestigiosa factoría de sueños de cualquier músico actual que se precie, los Finnvox Studios de Helsinki.
Dentro del disco se mezclan perfectamente las grandes melodías de la voz con las guitarras potentes, como en el tema Dream Child o en el décimo corte Till The Day I Die. También hay dos hermosas baladas, Desert Rain y el tema once que cierra el disco Forever, pero sin duda donde se puede comprobar que son capaces de hacer estos chicos hay que escuchar dos temas, Walk Between The Shadows y la grandiosa Judas My Brother, con unas guitarras muy afiladas y muy crudas.
También cabe destacar las tres colaboraciones que tiene el disco: se trata nada mas y nada menos que de tres grandes de la guitarra finlandesa que se han prestado ha hacer sendos solos en tres de los temas y son Emppu Vuorinen de Nightwish, Jani Liimatainen de Sonata Arctica y Erkka Korhonen de Urban Tale.
Sin duda un disco que no pasará desapercibido y una vez que lo escuches tendrás que hacerle un hueco especial en tu cabeza, solo espero que sus melodías te dejen dormir y no te produzcan insomnio en tus noches más hardrockeras.
Anyone willing to translate?
Jose A. Gallardo, July, 2004
A review in ECLIPSED Magazine, Germany
Gut Ding will eben weile haben. Sänger Janne Hurme und drummer Petri Lehto gründeten bereits 1986 ihre erste gemeinsame band. Nachdem die Finnen dann etliche Jahre getrennte Wege gesangen waren, (Janne Hurme wechseite überaus erfolgreich ins Pop-metier) haben sie jetzt mit wieder eine gemeninsaime Band am Start. Die Songs des Fünfers liegen stilistich in der Schnittmenge von hardrock und AOR und bieten den übblichen mix von harten,treibenden Rocknummern bis Zu Kuschelballaden. Das alles kent man von ünzahligen andernen Veröffentlichungen zwar genauso, aber Human Temple haben immerhin ein Handchen für das Songwriting und auch was die Produktion anghelt, gibt as keinen Grund zu mecern. Für Gastauftritte konnte man gleich drei namnhafte finnische Gitarristen (Emppu Vuorinen-Nightwish, Jani Liimatainen-Sonata Arctica und Erkka Korhonen-Urban Tale) gewinnen und die backing vocals stammen von Taage Laiho von Altaria.
Rough translation on the way!
Renald Mienert, July/August, 2004
A review in SuomiFinland PERKELE Metal Magazine/SUE, rating 8/10
Turkulainen Human Temple on laulaja Janne Hurmeen hard rock-bandi, joka on vihdoin saanut levynsä markkinoille. Keikkoja ei orkesteri ole vielä juurikaan tehnyt, mutta tilanne parantunee tämän levyn myötä. Human Temple soittaa jenkkityylistä hard rockia, ei järin raskasta, mutta sitäkin kulkevampaa ja melodista musiikkia. Vertailukohteita voi hakea sellaisista bändeistä kuin Foreigner, Toto, Journey ja jossain määrin jopa Bon Jovi. Yhtyeellä on kuitenkin kitarat tärkeässä osassa, eikä se sorru munattomaan kosketinpimputukseen häiritsevässä määrin.
Hurmeen ääni on kunnossa ja sävellykset tarttuvia. Jotkut kappaleet jäävät suorastaan kiusallisen hyvin kaaliin soimaan - tästä hyvinä esimerkkeinä Goin' All The Way, Desert Rain ja Judas My Brother. Insomnia on omalla sarallaan hienoa aikuisheviä, jollaiselle luulisi olevan kuuntelijoita Suomessakin pilvin pimein.
Rough translation: Human Temple from Turku, the hard rock band of singer Janne Hurme, has finally released their first album. The band hasn't played many gigs yet, but the situation will probably improve with the release of this album. Human Temple plays american-styled hard rock, not very heavy, but still very working and melodic music. Comparisons can be drawn to Foreigner, Toto, Journey and even Bon Jovi. The band has guitars in the leading role though, and they don't fall into the trap of wimpy keyboard tinkling so much that it would bother me.
The voice of Hurme is in great shape and his compositions are catchy. Some of the songs are almost annoyingly catchy, and stick to your head, good examples being Goin' All The Way, Desert Rain and Judas My Brother. In its' own genre, Insomnia is fine AOR metal, the kind that should have plenty of listeners in Finland.
Kimmo Jaramo, July, 2004
A review on the www.metalchroniques.com, rating 6,5/10
Originaire de Finlande, Human Temple est l’auteur d’une musique à mi-chemin entre la FM et le hard rock, cherchant sans doute à combiner l’ancien et le nouveau. A priori plutôt dénué d’une identité propre, le groupe en vient ainsi à s’estampiller d’un certain cachet, et ce d’autant plus que le syncrétisme est plutôt bien effectué et ne paraît au final pas trop artificiel. Doté d’un bon chanteur, de compositions de bonne facture, soutenues par un grain de guitare puissant, Insomnia se révèle globalement une réussite.
Même si la production est juste correcte, voire médiocre quant au son de batterie cotonneux au possible, les morceaux arrivent régulièrement à décoller et se laissent ainsi aisément retenir. Un clavier discret rehausse avec bonheur le morceau « Goin’ all the way », « Dream child » culmine sur un joli refrain et le groupe s’autorise même de lorgner sur des horizons heavy (« Desert rain ») sans paraître à aucun moment souffrir. Il réussit même, au-delà du faux-pas de la médiocre ballade « Desert rain », à clore son disque sur un beau morceau lent « Forever » qui effacera avec bonheur le souvenir plus mitigé des quelques banalités qui parsèment Insomnia (« Walk between the shadow » par exemple).
En somme une première tentative louable et réussie qui promet sans doute des réalisations plus enlevées de la part de Human Temple.
Baptiste, July, 2004
A translation available later, we hope...
A review on the Antenna Magazine website, rating 5/6
Human Temple as they are today took their steps in 1998 – and in 2002 they made their first demo and now they have their first full record called Insmonia out. Just to add a little extra flavour to the album, a few guests were invited to take part: three Finnish top lead guitarists, Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish), Jani Liimatainen (Sonata Arctica) and Erkka Korhonen (Urban Tale) added their solos to one song each. One of the best metal shouters of the country, Taage Laiho (Altaria) fame provided backing vocals.
I don’t know what’s happening in Finland (unlike Denmark), but this is yet another excellent band from the country that already brought us so many high class acts in the past. Janne Hurme is a great vocalist, backing up with an even greater band which brings us melodic hard rock, supplied with anything that genre has to offer. With excellent melodic rock songs like “I’m Sorry”, “Goin’ All the Way” and the incredibly pretty ballad “Forever”, they prove that they are quite accomplished songwriters. “Desert Rain” is also another brilliant piano-ballad with awesome melodies. “Out of Love” smells Talisman’s debut a long way with a chorus that will make you wanna sing long with really strong vocals.
The eleven songs presented on Insomnia are all little pearls inside a melodic rock. Hooks, loops and melodies, these guys know how to compose a great song. Strong, realistic lyrics round off this cd perfectly. I must say the album is a killer in a classic Scandinavian sense of the word.
This release is a must for everyone into melodic hard rock, AOR or even melodic, 80’s styled metal. Also ideal CD to listen to when making love with your partner – believe me – I know what I’m talking about.
Eternal Idol, 27th of June, 2004
A review in Treffi, a weekly media/TV/music supplement of Turun Sanomat, rating 4/6
Janne Hurme on tullut tutuksi lähinnä iskelmäpuolelta, mutta mies on usein puhunut paljon heavyn puolesta. Hurmeella on ilmeisesti ollut ennenkin raskaamman rockin ryhmiä, mutta vasta Human Temple vaikuttaa varteenotettavalta ja vakavalta kokoonpanolta.
Human Temple edustaa vanhaa kunnon kasariheviä kummartelematta kummemmin esikuville. Kappaleiden säveltäjä Hurme tietää selvästi hyvän kappaleen reseptin, ja miehellä tuntuu riittävän ammennettavaa. Human Temple kulminoituu paljolti melodioihinsa, ja yhtyeeltä löytyykin runsaasti kutkuttelivia koukkuja.
"Insomnia" on varsin konstailematon, mutta silti mainiosti toimiva katsaus perinteiseen heavyyn. Jollakin tavalla levy tuntuu kuitenkin hieman pidättyneeltä. Yhtyeen rahkeet riittäisivät paljon suurempaankin ilmaisuun, eikä mahtipontisuus ole koskaan hevin kohdalla pahasta.
Rough translation: Janne Hurme is wellknown as a schlager artist, but the man has often spoken fondly of metal. He has apparently had hard rock groups before, but it seems that Human Temple is the first noteworthy one.
Human Temple represents good old eighties metal without bowing too much to the influences. Songwriter Hurme is clearly familiar with the formula of a good song, and he seems to have a lot to give. Human Temple has concentrated on the melodies, and indeed they have plenty of catchy hooks.
"Insomnia" is an umcomplicated, yet very working look back at the traditional metal. Somehow the band seems a bit restrained though. They have potential for a more grandiose presentation, and being pompous is never a bad thing in hard rock.
Marko Säynetkoski, 1st of July, 2004
A review on the Revelationz website, rating 8/10
Wow this album is flooring. After not expecting much from it (really, what is a Human Temple anyway and what does it have to do with AOR?) some of these songs simply have the power to blow one away. We are talking top tier melodic rock, the kind that easily can sit on a pedestal and lord over all the crappier songs under their reign. Seriously solid material and the album contains freaking four songs of this caliber. Four! And its not like the rest is bad or anything, in fact the entire “Insomnia” experience is generally so catchy it will keep you up late at night with the melodies streaming through your brain with no off button in sight. Color me impressed, because truly these Fins have hit up some killer material for their debut outing, but the feeling lurks that its going to be nearly impossible to follow this up and not let expectations sag. But let’s not worry about that for now because we have the red hot “Insomnia” to enjoy for the present.
Lead singer Janne Hurme has a huge bent towards mangling English words, but does it in subtle ways that are endearing to the songs. He has a strong voice that lends itself well to the pop rock foundations that makeup the very basis of AOR. This isn’t surprising since apparently Mr. Hurme is a pop sensation solo artist in his homeland and holds the achievement of having one of the biggest hit singles in the past decade there for “Kirje”. The duo of Janne and drummer Petri Lehto have been bopping around in various rock bands since the mid 80s but only now have managed to get it together and in a form that we can purchase, take home and enjoy to our heart’s content. Then there’s guitarist Jari Salo, bassist Harri Kinnunen and key man Tony Green. The band is joined by a trio of Finnish bred guest guitarists to lend a pick and a six string to one song each, these being Emppu Vuorinen from Nightwish, Jani Liimatainen from Sonata Arctica and Erkka Korhonen from Urban Tale. Ah and Taage Laiho of Altaria makes an appearance on backing vocals. Quite the lineup!
“Insomnia’s” biggest holdup is surprisingly the production, the songs sound a little sparse and shallow at times despite being mixed at Finland's Finnvox studio. A few extra layers of padding could have upped the bombastic factor and taken the band to another level altogether. Unfortunately the hollowness is a nagging drawback, but is not enough to ruin the spectacular musical treats that are on hand. Another annoying factor is the sometimes quite intrusive drums have the tendancy to take over a couple of the songs, the lovely harmonies are easy to follow along as a distraction but still its noticeable enough to merit commenting upon. Luckily this is only a major problem in one song, and the rest are left to their own devices.
The music itself can be compared to so many bands, and here’s just a few name drops for you so a general picture can be formed: Skagarack, Treat, Bon Jovi’s “ 7800 Fahrenheit”, Pretty Maids, Craaft and many more. The mid 80s vibe is overwhelming but sounds so authentic, some might swear this came out of 1986 and others wouldn't argue. Human Temple is that rooted in the past, and what a joy it is to taste some of these tunes that have been sheltered so fondly from the influences of today's musical wasteland.
Opening with the hoppin' hook laden "I'm Sorry" the band kicks off with a fierce melodic swift kick to the seat of your leather pants. A sing-a-long piece where everything clicks, from the catchy bridge that moves right into the bouncy chorus to the melding of keys and guitars to create a snappy rhythm. "I didn't mean to hurt you but this is the last goodbye, just like you before, I'm walking away."
"Goin' All the Way" keeps up the dance-able pacing, you know, the kind of melodic rock that has enough punch to get your head nodding but not true headbanging. The hooks here are absolutely electric and the backup echoing vocals lend a sense of depth. Still seems a little sparse on the exterior but that's easily forgiven. This one has a taste of early Bon Jovi flowing through it and the first guitarist guest makes his debut. Urban Tale's Erkka Korhonen pops up for a slick solo indeed.
Kids playing in the background? "Dream Child" kicks off with these sound samples and a mellow acoustic guitar matched with easy going drumming, the latter which is a bit intrusive but matches better later in the song when the electric guitars blend in and the vocals are plushier. The verses have a haunting feel and the guitar's web weaving before the chorus only solidifies this feel, which rolls along a smoother, easier path than the previous two rockin' cuts.
"Out of Love" is probably the pick of the disc. This thing roams around in the head days after last hearing it. That's how catchy this bloody song is. Vocals and drums, a simplistic atmosphere and then BOOM! Guitars, bass, everything else fills out the sound while the vocals just lap in their rhythmic catchy way. Hurme purrs anything with an "er" sound such as the words "danger" and "stranger" which actually adds so much to the delivery of this song. Boiling down in the center for one of those heart stopping six string quickie excursions, its pulled right back into the hook in the blink of an eye.
The pronunciation for "Desert Rain" comes off sounding like "disseray" but again, this slight unique twist, most likely unintentional, sounds much better than if it had been crooned correctly. Veering down into gentleness of ballad-land, its a lovely tune that's put together well, but is still not a patch on a ballad that's yet to come. A nice soft song with loneliness spreading through every touch of the keys.
Next up is "Animal" which has a completely different feel than anything else on the disc but is also the weakest link on the disc. Laid back in a manner that some might say plodding in comparison to the high octane rockers found elsewhere on "Insomnia", the song actually works quite well placed here and while the repetitious parroting of the word "animal" with various inflections can grate after a couple of dozen listens, it does fit with the slower, deliberate theme. Jani from Sonata Arctica makes his appearance here, continuing to prove that Finland has been home to some of the best guitarists from this generation of six string heroes.
"Walk Between the Shadows" brings us back to the delightful keyboard driven AOR-esque style seen on "Out of Love". This is like Skagarack clashes with Craaft with a chorus that slays and kills with the best in Treat's catalogue. Lapping acoustic sets the verses simmering in anticipation of the buildup which is driven by heaps of synthesizer and electric pushing against the restraints with full force on the bridge until that chorus explodes again. "Dream again, dream of me."
"Judas My Brother" sees the band switching up styles again, this time experimenting with rougher guitars, thumping bass and an overall heavier state of mind. This all falls away for little sections that seem almost like progressive metal. Other parts have a taste of Stratovarius in their mid 90s melodic glory. Swirling instrumental passages and strongly belted vocals make this a different little track, but one that's infinitely enjoyable. The synthesizer jam in the creamy center throws off 70s vibes in that Deep Purple vein, proving they are a versatile outfit that can mix and match metal styles and bust out with something that retains the core melodic sense but also bursts with individuality and an overall epic shine.
High flying heart melting AOR is back for the attack in the form of "On a Night Like This", Janne opening with a throatier deeper croon and snapping right into those higher registers for the melodic clearings in the storm of the track. The rhythm guitars are grittier than one would expect on what appears to be a candy coated piece like this at first glance, but its the little things such as this that sets it apart, and Jari is whipped back into sizzling pristine shape for the rather elegant solo that caps off the proceedings nicely.
"Till the Day I Die" seems to take even a larger chunk from the holy book of Skagarack, and turns into a gorgeous gem of a song with a bombastic chorus that is packed to the hilt with keyboards. Dramatic half pauses in the music while the vocals continue on helps to dig the hooks in even deeper. The guitar solo is from Nightwish's Emppu Vuorinen here for those keeping track, and is the last one to feature a special guest behind the axe.
Finally its time for that ballad, yes the very same one that leaves "Desert Rain" to a drought of dust. Milking the emotions for maximum effect is the rather simplistic "Forever" that sounds like the complimentary piece to Europe's even more beautiful forgotten classic "Tomorrow" that leaves you dabbing tears from your cheeks on "Out of This World". "Forever" carries its own beauty, the edges rounded smooth, the verses soft and delicate, nutured with the natural organic sounds of piano. Of course it can't lay dormant and easy going simple for the entire song. Towards the latter half, the rest of the instruments kick in for a powerful finish, including a stirring solo by Jari.
Human Temple's "Insomnia" is truly a hit out of absolutely nowhere. The band tackles several different styles while retaining their own unique feel, thanks heavily by the experienced and distinctive pipes of Finland's former pop sensation Janne Hurme. The shifts in musical approach make for a varied album and allows the pure melodic rock pieces to stand out and gives the tracks that take things from a different perspective their own space to breathe.
Unfortunately not all is perfect within the walls of the Human Temple. As mentioned before, the album has a shallow feel which shouldn't be there in this day and age. Many of these songs feel like they could use extra padding to push them to the next level. I think this is more of a fault in the production area than anything else, because the core of most of these tracks is composed of top notch material. A few more uplifting AOR bits would also make it even more of a decadent delight, since you can never overdose on too much of that sugary sweet goodness. The band handles this with ease and its a shame there isn't more sprinkled on here.
Oh and for the record, my fab four picks are the not-so-sorry rocker "I'm Sorry", the AOR booming "Out of Love", "Walk Between the Shadows", and the spine prickling shifts of "On a Night Like This" with "Till the Day I Die", "Desert Rain", and "Forever" leading up the rear. Not that there's a bad song to be found (well maybe "Animal" after the hundredth time, but that first hundred, it sounds pretty darn good). Anyone into the 80s scene will find Human Temple a nice place to kick back and rest awhile. While under the spell it is an impossible disc to shake out of the head or CD player.
Alanna, 27th of June, 2004
A review on MetalStorm website, rating 9/10
Human Temple is showing us that Finland isn’t only about depressive and power music, it’s also about Melodic Hardrock, and then how they do it, Oh holy god in heaven, this is without doubt one of the best Hardrock album of the year, it’s simply, fantastic.
Jani Hurme [Vocals] and Petri Lehto [Drums] formed their first band back in 1986, in Turku, Finland, and that was also the start for what should be Human Temple.
After playing together in various bands, Jani in 1995 got a chance to sing different kind of music, and he took it, and became one of the more popular pop/schlager singers in Finland, but the passion for harder music never died, so in 1998 he formed Human Temple with his old friend Petri and the rest of the band, Jari Salo [Guitars, Vocals], Tony Green [Keyboards, Vocals] and Harri Kinnunen [Bass].
In 2002 the first demo was recorded and was response was very positive, both from labels and fans.
And in early 2003, the band started to record what should be their debut album, with guitarist Jari handling the production.
A few guests were invited, and no other than Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish), Jari Liimatainen (Sonata Arctica) and Erkka Korhonen (Urban Tale) did some solos on one song each.
And then in 2004, February the album was mastered in Finnvox and in March the band signed with MTM that’s released the album on the 21st of June.
As I said, the album is a killer, it was over two years ago I had this creepy feeling under my skin when listening to a Hardrock album (that time it was Token’s debut, “Tomorrowland”), and now it’s time again.
When starting the album for the first time, and the song “I’m Sorry” starts rolling, I’m very surprised, I didn’t expect that this should sound so good as it did, the song is a very well written Hardrock song, a perfect starter, and it’s one of the best on the album too.
Following “Goin’ All the Way” is good too, not as the first but still one of the best (It’s also the first song with a guest on, Erkka from Urban Tale).
Then the album is falling down a bit, sure songs like “Dream Child”, “Out of Love”, “Desert Rain”, “Animal” and “Walk Between the Shadows” is good, but it can match what the first two. (“Animal” is where Jari from Sonata guests).
Then comes the next blast, the eight song, “Judas My Brother”, Oh my god, this is a killer, absolutely the best one on the album. With a very slow and silent intro, a heavy part follows with the most used riffs ever, but I don’t care, because it’s sounds wonderful. And then the songs evolve to something perfect, a perfect Hardrock song.
After such a song, it’s hard not to smile, even if its there’s no one close and nothing to smile to.
The songs after are good, there are not bad songs here, but of course, they can’t match “the three” in any way, but it’s not needed.
Following songs, “On a Night Like This”, “Till’ the Day I Die” and “Forever”, are the last one the ballad (must have one, right?) and the middle one, where Emppu (Nighwish” guests.
But as mention, it’s nothing against “the three”.
So overall: this is surely one of the best Hardrock albums of the year, I doubt that we’ll get anything better, even if Token is releasing a new one too (review will soon be available).
So this is something you must have in your collection is you like Melodic Hardrock (and AOR), it’s simply a killer in the genre.
Check Out: “I’m Sorry”, “Goin’ All the Way” & “Judas My Brother”.
By Malcolm, June' 04
A review on Melodic.Net website
When you think about music and Finland I´m sure that many like myself think about powermetal acts like Nightwish, Stratovarious and Sonata Arctica. By judging from the band name and albumtitle-my first thought was that this was a new powermetal act from the land of the thousand seas. But after listening to the opening track I realized that I was totally wrong.
Human Temple is a new melodic hardrock/AOR sensation from Finland that delivers songs with fantastic melodies ,strong hooklines and lots of lovely keybords in their sound and reminds sometimes of the best Scandinavian 80s acts. The singer Janne Hurme used to be a soloartist and has achieved sales of 150.000 albums,he´s got a very strong voice.
Just to add a little extra flavour to the album they invited few guests to be involved on "Insomnia". The names I´m talking about are Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish), Jani Liimatainen (Sonata Arctica) and Erkka Korhonen (Urban Tale) with guitarsolos to one song each. Altarias metal shouter Taage Laiho provided the backing vocals. "I´m Sorry" is a treat to your ears with a nice Hammond organ in the background. The chorus is filled with hooklines all the way like a mixture of a rockier Urban Tale and Grand Illusion.
If you miss the days when Treat and Talk Of The Town was on the move then listen to "Goin´ All The Way", this is a marvellous song with powerful 80´s pompkeyboards and straight aheard guitarriffs that hooks you up real good. "Out Of Love" smells Talisman´s debut a long way with a chorus that will make you wanna sing-a-long,really strong background vocals.
The ballads on the album are also very strong in "Forever" and "Desert Rain" which are two brilliant pianoballads with awesome melodies. If you miss dutt-dutt keyboards then put on the song "Till´ The Day I Die" and just dream away, relax and enjoy one of this years best air-keyboard songs. If you love Grand Illusion and Urban Tale then this song will please all your needs for a long time. The chorus is very catchy with strong background vocals and hooklines all through the song. This was a huge surprise for me because I had no expectations at all about Human Temple and I´m glad that Finland is producing more AOR bands and not just powermetal. Urban Tale is no longer the only high-class AOR act from Finland, now you can also count Human Temple to that list.
This is a must for everyone that are into 80s melodic hardrock/AOR with class, so get yourself a copy of this fantastic album.
By Juha Harjula
A review on Bright Eyes website, rating 11/13 "eyes"
Das hinlänglich als unterkühlt geltende finnische Volk erfüllt das Klischee glücklicherweise nicht immer. Davon zeugt nicht zuletzt diese sehr feine Hardrockscheibe, die das Debüt der Skandinavier darstellt. MTM haben derzeit einen echten Lauf, wenn man sich die letzten paar Veröffentlichungen der Münchner Rockschmiede so vor Augen führt, und HUMAN TEMPLE reihen sich da verdammt gut ein. Schon der Opener ‚I’m Sorry’ zieht einem ob seiner Wucht, Durchschlagskraft und seinem Hitpotential den Skalp von der Rübe – dafür hätten sich auch grandiose Baton Rouge (ich denke da an ‚Didn’t I’) nicht schämen müssen. Im Folgenden stehen vor allem tolle Midtempo-Rocker im Vordergrund, wobei da das vorzügliche ‚Out Of Love’ (Emerald Rain meets Ten) besonders heraussticht. Auch mit wirklich klasse Balladen geizen die Finnen nicht, was ‚Desert Rain’ und das finale ‚Forever’ sehr eindrucksvoll untermauern. Kein Wunder, dass es sich auch Szenegrößen wie Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish), Jani Liimatainen (Sonata Arctica), Erkka Korhonen (Urban Tale) oder Taage Laiho (Altaria) nicht nehmen ließen, HUMAN TEMPLE mit Gastbeiträgen tatkräftig unter die Arme, Stimmbänder und Gitarren-Plektren zu greifen. „Insomnia“ ist ein sehr homogenes, kompaktes und von Hooklines nur so strotzendes Manifest an schlagkräftigen Melodic Hardrock alter Schule. Sehr empfehlenswert!
Bernd Joachim, June '04
A review on Crossrocks website, rating 91/100
HUMAN TEMPLE est un nouveau venu de la scène hard mélodique finlandaise. Après plusieurs démos, ce groupe formé en 1998 par le batteur Petri Lehto et Janne Hurme - un chanteur qui a percé en Finlande dans un registre plus pop - fut repéré par le label munichois MTM qui réalise là le tout premier album du combo.
A l'image de leurs compatriotes de HOUSE OF MIRRORS dont le premier album est également sorti ce mois-ci, le rock mélodique de HUMAN TEMPLE est assez dansant et fort de mélodies extrêmement léchées. Des titres comme Dream Child ou On A Night Like This confirment qu'on a bien affaire à des compositeurs avertis. Le genre de refrain facilement mémorisable, des lignes mélodiques racées, des guitares planantes (à noter la présence de trois invités de renoms sur des solos : Emppu Vuorinen de NIGHTWISH, Jani Liimatainen de SONATA ARCTICA et Erkka Korhonen de URBAN TALE)... Le groupe est bien en place, même si on pourrait lui reprocher une certaine omniprésence du chant, une voix agréable évoquant parfois Danny Vaughn (TYKETTO), mais un peu trop mise en avant. Heureusement la guitare est elle aussi aux avant-postes, et l'ensemble reste parfaitement digeste.
Encore une sympathique découverte finlandaise. On avait tendance à se focaliser sur la mouvance gothique très riche en provenance de ce pays, mais Human Temple confirme que la Finlande a encore bien des surprises à nous proposer !
Highlights : Dream Child, On A Night Like This, Goin' All The Way, Walk Between The Shadows...
A translation available later, we hope...
A review on Rockreport website, rating 5/6
Like so many others, the first half of the glorious 80s made a deep impression on two young kids from Turku, Finland. So much so that they decided to form a band of their own in 1986. The boys in question are vocalist Janne Hurme and drummer Petri Lehto. What they started then would ultimately lead to Human Temple now. During the late 80s and the early 90s they played in various bands, thus learning the tricks of the trade by trial and error. In 1995 things changed dramatically, as Hurme was given the chance to become a pop star in his home country. Although he achieved sales in excess of 150,000 albums and his single “Kirje” forced a breakthrough, he never lost his passion for hard rock and metal and kept writing songs in that genre … until Human Temple was founded in 1998. However, nothing much happened until 2002 when a first demo was sent out to various mags and labels. The response was very encouraging and in early 2003 the band decided to record a full album. A producer was quickly found. As guitarist Jari Salo had been doing studio work for years, he handled the production duties and did a fine job. Just to add some extra flavour to the album, a few Finnish guest vocalists were invited to take part: Emppu Vuorinen from Nightwish, Jani Liimatainen from Sonata Arctica and Erkka Korhonen from Urban Tale. Each of them can be heard on one song, while Taage Laiho (from Altaria) provided backing vocals. In February of this year “Insomnia” was mastered by Mika Jussila at the world-famous Finnvox Studios and one month later they were signed by MTM Music.
I don’t know what’s happening in Finland, but this is yet another excellent band from that country that already brought us so many class acts in the past. Hurme is a great vocalist, backed by an even greater band, which brings us melodic hard rock, supplied with anything that genre should provide. Although this is only the first album, some of the band’s songs may already be called ‘classics’ in the making. Let you convince and listen to tracks such as “Out Of Love”, “Desert Rain” or “Walk Between The Shadows”. I expect great things from this band in the future. A more than nice surprise!
CL, June '04
A review in the AOR Heaven Mailorder newsletter, website www.aorheaven.com
HUMAN TEMPLE are another new band from one of the most happening rock &
metal countries these days: Finland! In opposite to many of their
landsmen HUMAN TEMPLE though play Melodic Rock. Besides the good
musicianship the voice of frontman Janne Hurme, a popular folk singer in
Finland, really shines. Not every song is a killer yet as the beautiful
"Walk Between The Shadows" for example but the band definitely shows
their high potential. If you like music with TREAT and HOUSE OF MIRRORS
influences and some EUROPE stuff added, you'll dig this one for
sure!
Birgitt Schwanke, June '04
A review on the German website Sonny's Rock & Metal Heaven- Rating 7/10
Dass aus Finnland hervorragender Gothic- oder Power Metal kommt, ist man ja schon seit Jahrzehnten gewohnt, aber mittlerweile kristallisieren sich aus dem nördlichen Völkchen immer mehr recht anspruchsvolle Melodic Rock-Bands heraus. Zu jener aufstrebenden Gattung dürfen sich auch HUMAN TEMPLE zählen, denn mit ihrem Debüt "Insomnia" hat die Band eine Scheibe vorgelegt, die so manchen eingefleischten Melodic-Freak beeindrucken dürfte. Zwar sind nicht alle Songs vom Kaliber des melodischen Stampfers "Goin' All The Way", der von den Keyboards stellenweise an VAN HALEN meets EUROPE erinnern mag, oder der simplen - aber ausdruckstarken - Ballade "Forever", aber Ausfälle sind unter den elf Nummern nicht auszumachen. Zugegeben, mit dem steril-bassschwangeren "Out Of Love" oder dem schleppenden Midtempo-Song "Animal" haben die Mannen um Sänger Janne Hurme, der in Finnland als gefeierter Schlager/ Pop-Star gilt, auch ein paar Durchhänger am Start. Für diese kleinen Schwächen wird man aber mit "Walk Between The Shadows", die mit tollen Melodien und Hooks zu gefallen weiß, und dem lässigen Groover "On A Night Like This" postwendend entschädigt. Ein weiteres Zuckerl kommt in Form der rhythmischen Mitsing-Nummer "Till' The Day I Die" auf die AOR- und Hard Rock-Gemeinde zu. Zudem konnte die Band mit Emppu Vuorinen (NIGHTWISH), Jan Liimatainen(SONATA ARTICA) und Erkka Korhonen (URBAN TALE) drei der erfolgreichsten finnischen Gitarristen für das ein oder andere Gastsolo gewinnen. Fazit: Mit dieser Scheibe fädeln sich HUMAN TEMPLE nahezu übergangslos in die vorderste Riege (z. B. HOUSE OF MIRRORS oder URBAN TALE) der finnischen Melodic Rock-Szene ein.
Sonny, June '04
A review on the Norwegian website www.melodichardrocktoday.tk/- Album Of The Month June '04
With the boom of metal and hard rock bands in the eighties, two young teenagers from Turku Finland grew up with
the dream of starting their own band. And in 1986 drummer Petri Letho and vocalist Janne Hurme decided to
make their dream come true. During the eighties and early nineties Janne and Petri played in lots of bands in Turku.
In 1995 Janne was given the opportunity to do something different than hard rock. He took the chance as soloartist,
something that resulted he became one of the most popular "schlager" artists in Finland. With his breakthrough single,
Kirje, who became one of the biggest hits in Finland the last decade, and by selling 150000 albums, he never lost
his passion for hard rock. In 1998 Human Temple was formed and during 2002 they recorded their first demo,
Walk Between The Shadows. The demo got great feedback from around the world with great critics from the
specialized press, and early in 2003 the band decided it was time to record their debut. Working in studio for many
years, guitarist Jari Salo handled the production. They also invited some guests to add a little extra flavor to the
album; three well known guitarists in Finland played solos on one song each, Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish), Jani
Liimatainen (Sonata Arctica) and Erkka Korhonen (Altaria). The debut Insomnia was mastered by Mika Jussila at
Finnvox Studios and finally finished in February 2004. In March 2004 Human Temple signed a deal with MTM
Music in Germany and the release date for Insomnia is June 21st 2004.
I have waited for this CD since I wrote about their demo Walk between shadows back in May 2003. With the
demo I heard a band with great potential, and the debut from Human Temple is just outstanding!! All the material
on Insomnia is of epic quality, pushed and teased to the outer limits of melodic intensity. The songs are crafted with
a sense of maturity and expertise, certain tracks can honestly be placed alongside some of the greatest moments in
hard rock history. The production from Jari is crystal clear, it jumps out and hits you, crisp, instant and mighty. By
listening to Insomnia from start to finish I can hear that Human Temple plays a mix of the eighties and nineties
melodic hardrock, melodic rock and AOR. But at the same time they have managed to established their own identity
with this album. From the start with songs like I`m Sorry and Goin`All The Way, the band are irrepressible; Janne`s
vocals come flying at your ears and Jari`s guitar work is really nice for your gut and the band`s melodic masterdom
reach for your heart, while choruses book a lengthy residence in you brain. Another thing I like about Human Temple
is that each song stands up on its own and sound refreshingly different from the next one; as Dream Child does to
Out Of Love and the beautiful ballad Desert Rain. There`s plenty more fine stuff to be found too, with my personal
favorites in songs like Walk between The Shadows, Judas My Brother and On a Night Like This. Human
Temple are a very fine example of top quality Scandinavian melodic hardrock, with the release of the debut at the
end of the month I will say only one last thing: Get it!
Arne Asbølmo, June '04
A review on www.concreteweb.be- Rating: 79/100
Well, here's a weird story. Human Temple founders Janne Hurme (vocals) and Petri Lehto (drums) have known each other since the early Eighties, forming their first band in 1986, and continuing to form local Hard Rock bands in their city of Turku, Finland, untill in 1995, Janne was given the opportunity to start singing in a completely different genre. He went on to become one of Finland's most popular Pop/ Schlager artists, but never completely left Hard Rock behind. So, not only does he perform with cover/ party band Sex A.M., he's also one of the singers of Turku based Heavy Metal/ Hard Rock cover band Rock City Band, and formed Human Temple in '98. After a first demo found promotion through a couple of websites & magazines, it also raised some interest with a couple of record labels and so, in early 2003, the band found the time was ripe to start on an album. As guitarist Jari Saro had been doing studio work for years, a producer was already at hand. To make things even more spicy, a couple of friends were invited to add something to the recordings. And so we find Nightwish's Emppu Vuorinen, Sonata Arctica's Jani Liimatainen, and Urbal Tale's Erkka Korhonen doing a solo on a song each, and Altaria's Taage Laiho doing the backing vocals. After the final recordings were done, mastering happened at the infamous Finnvox studio. Only after thàt was the deal signed with MTM Music, who will release the album on June 16th. Musically, the album can be classified in 3 genres: melodic Hard Rock (with a heavy touch), A.O.R. (quite a bit of the songs have the allure of heavy ballads), and even (Eighties styled) Metal (check out the great tune "Judas My Brother" with its fantastic build-up. It also happens to be the longest track on the album). On the downside, I feel the guitarist has given just a little too much importance to his rhythm guitar sound, which is really very on the forefront (and not really that special in any case...got thing his solos save the day!), at times in disfavour of the vocals even!
Tony, June 2004
A review on the Streets Webzine- Rating: 8/10
There have been a huge amount of albums released within the hard rock genre the last couple of decades, which means that you have to deliver well above average to avoid drowning in the jungle of releases. A very strong song material is in my opinion the key to success in this genre. Human Temple has their base in Finland, a country that’s not rated among the largest exponents of this type of music. With ‘Insomnia’ Human Temple have proved that they deserve to survive cause this is a very good hard rock album filled with good songs that hits you right away. Mika Jussila has been responsible for the mastering of this album in his famous Finnvox Studio and that has as usual resulted in a very strong production. Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish) and Jani Liimatainen (Sonata Arctica) has contributed with some real nice guitar work on a couple of tracks. ‘Insomnia’ is basically in possession of everything you expect from a melodic hard rock album. You get both sugar sweet ballades, mid-tempo songs and even more up-tempo stuff. I’m sure this album will appeal to fans of the eighties style of melodic hard rock. 8 out of 10 points
Evan, May 25th, 2004
A review on the danish website www.peitersen.com- Rating: 4/5
Human Temple was partly formed way back in 1986 by "famous" Finnish vocalist Janne Hurme and drummer Petri Lehto in the town of Turko. They had several bands with several names in the 80's and 90's and Janne Hurme as a solo artist has achieved sales of 150.000 albums, and his breakthrough single called "Kirje" was one of the biggest selling hits of the last decade in Finland. He is also the frontman of cover/party band SEX A.M. and one of the vocalists of Rock City band - a heavy metal/hard rock cover project! And had a very successfull pop/schlager career from 1995.
Human Temple as they are today took their steps in 1998 - and in 2002 they made their first demo and now they have their first full record "Insomnia" out. The band features besides the two I already mentioned Jari Salo on guitars, Tony Green on keyboards and Karri Kinnunen on bass. They have also invited several gusts to participate - on guitars Emppu Vuorinen from Nightwish, Jani Liimatainen from Sonata Artica and Erkka Korhonen from Urban Tale and Taage Laiho from Altaria provided some backing vocals. And i must say the album really is a killer in a classic Scandinavian sense of the word!
The overall concept is similar to a band like Swedish Grand Illusion with grans melodies spanning from ballads to hard rock over AOR, but all with a an amazing production, great musicianship and fantastic songs! Its hard to choose some stand outs - but the big big ballad "Desert Rain" is among those song that I hum in my shower these days, but also opener "I'm sorry" is a really heavy rocker - Janne Hurme has a very dynamic and powerful voice and he continues on "Goin' all the way" and tops on the epic "Judas my Brother" with a piano intro and a very heavy - Whitesnake anno 1987 go home!
This is highly recommended if you like the Scandinavian approach to melodic hard rock - "Insomnia" will spin for a long time at my place!
Steen Peitersen
A review on the RockUnited.Com website- Rating:8/10
How many times have you wondered how unfair the world is? Sure there are unbelievable success stories too. The first time I heard Human Temple on a demo I already knew this band should have their share of success. Their singer Janne Hurme, well known in Finland from his earlier singing career as a pop singer to the older crowd, was never a stranger to hard rock and metal and he always carried the right attitude that also worked on stage. Hurme and Petri Lehto, drums, are the original members of the band formed in 1998. The rest of the members in the band today are Harri Kinnunen, bass, Tony Green, keys, b. vocals and Jari Salo, guitars, b. vocals. The band has been working hard since day one and hard is the road in Finland to reach anything huge with their melodic hard rock music. But I always believed in them, and now they’re signed to MTM, one of the best labels in this genre. Way to go guys and congratulations! It’s always a pleasure to see finnish bands going somewhere. This kind of music has never been big in Finland, which is strange considering how little it differs from pop and entertaining music and how popular the other one is.
However, even though Human Temple write great songs with huge hooks and there aren’t bad songs on ”Insomnia”, actually most of them stick to you like glue and get you going, some of the songs cry out for more notes, more layers to the backing vocals and echo. A certain simplicity and hollowness bothers at times which is a shame really and that’s why I couldn’t give this a niner eventhough I would’ve so much wanted to. At least more echo would’ve brought a spaceous, arena band-like athmosphere to them, which suits these kinds of bands well. The production doesn’t bring out the best from their music even though it’s quite vigorous, but the emotional charge roams over well enough, that’s what really matters here. ”I’m Sorry” kicks the album off real good. After all ”Insomnia” still is catchy and sentimental from beginning to end, not forgetting the ballads either, ”Desert Rain” and ”Forever” with piano accompanying the feelings. ”Walk Between The Shadows” and the epic like ”Judas My Brother” are the striking faster songs, even being intriguing and really heavy too. The only song having a leftover shadow on it is ”Animal” with its slow tempo that seems to drag a little, but it also has its moments.
Human Temple is great party music in the eighties vein and the album even features great guest musicians from Altaria: Taage (also in Kilpi) and Jani Liimatainen (also Sonata Arctica) with Emppu Vuorinen (Nightwish, ex-Altaria) and Erkka Korhonen (Urban Tale). Human Temple has everything to make it, but their music isn’t the most popular anywhere which is unfair. But as I said earlier, there are unbelievable success stories too and Human Temple has gone one step further already getting signed to MTM. We’ll stay tuned and see how the world takes on ”Insomnia”. They definately are one band you shouldn’t miss out on if you love great melodies. I’m still wondering though what made Hurme cut his long hair short, why oh why...girls love longhaired dudes, didn’t you know that !
Satu Reunanen, June 3rd, 2004
A review on the Imperiumi.Net Website- Rating: 9/10
Janne Hurme on pätevä iskelmälaulaja, mutta miten käy Hurmeelta melodinen hard rock? Hyvin ainakin yhden nähdyn Human Temple –keikan ja Insomnian perusteella. Jannehan ei ole mikään iskelmälaulaja, joka yht'äkkiä vetää nahkabyysat jalkaansa ja päättää alkaa rokkaamaan, vaan hänellä on vuodesta 1986 ollut hard rock –bändejä rumpali Petri Lehdon kanssa. Muistankin joskus ihmetelleeni Hurmen sivuilta kaljua, tatuoitua habitusta jossain Tuttu Jutussa tai vastaavassa ohjelmassa. Aikoinaanhan hän sai levytyssopimuksen kohumanageri Hannele Laurilan kanssa silloisen Wasteland –yhtyeensä demon perusteella. Human Temple on toiminut iskelmäuran ohella harvakseltaan keikkaillen ja demoja tehden.
Ilmeisesti vanhaa turkulaista 'tarttis tehrä jotain' -sananpartta mukaillen Hurme on alkanut panostaa enemmän rokkihommiin ja siitä on lopputuotteena debyyttilevy Insomnia. Human Temple teki levyn ensin omalla kustannuksellaan ja kauppasi valmista masteria, josta parhaimman tarjouksen teki saksalainen MTM. Hyvä näin, sillä kyseessä on yksi parhaimmista levyistä pitkään aikaan. Suomalaisista yrittäjistä vain Urban Tale debyytillään on päässyt samalle tasolle. Levyllä vierailevat Nightwishin Emppu, Sonata Arctican Liimatainen, Altarian ja Kilven Taage sekä Urban Talen Erkka Korhonen. Promolevyssä ei kuitenkaan ole tarkempia tietoja millä biiseillä, joten pidättäydyn kommenteista heidän suhteensa.
Käydäänpä levy läpi perinteisellä biisi biisiltä –kaavalla. Levyn aloittaa I'm Sorry, joka biisinä voisi olla hyvin HIM:in levyltä. Hurme ja co. tuskin kuitenkaan ovat käyneet Valon Villen apajilla, vaan ammentavat samasta lähteestä eli Bon Jovin 80-luvun tuotannosta. Hieno hammond-soundi erikoismausteena. Goin' All The Wayssä koukataan myös vanhalle Bongiovi –osastolle eikä metsähallituksen puolelle mennä tässäkään tapauksessa. Dreamchild taas vie Joe Lynn Turnerin aikaisen Rainbow’n tunnelmiin. Ei ihan levyn kärkeä, mutta kelpo semieeppinen pala kuitenkin. Out of Love muistuttaa hieman yhtä suosikkiani eli edesmennyttä ruotsalaista Treatia. Skandinaavista hard rockia parhaimmillaan. Desert Rain on tuttu itselleni jo demolta ja muistan biisin keikallakin vedonneen naisvoittoiseen yleisöön. Komea balladi, jonka tahdissa heviblondigimman trikoo kostuu. Animal on mielestäni levyn heikoin lenkki, biisi ei oikein tunnu lähtevän käyntiin. Kappaleesta puuttuu Def Leppardin biisikaiman tarttuvuus sekä W.A.S.P.:in vastaavan, heh, eläimellisyys. Walk Between The Shadows on myös tuttu Templen demolta. Demoversiossa olivat koskettimet enemmän pinnassa, mikä sopi mielestäni paremmin biisin luonteeseen. Hittikamaa joka tapauksessa. Judas My Brother on levyn eeppisempää osastoa. Biisi olisi kotonaan 80-luvun Yngwie Malmsteen -levyillä. Tosin Ynkän itsetarkoituksellinen tiluttelu onneksi puuttuu. Timo Tolkki lienisi myös tyytyväinen, jos saisi saman tasoluokan kappaleita vielä aikaan. On A Night Like This löytyi myös demolta. Janne Hurme on levyttänyt kappaleen suomeksi nimellä Elämän Malja. Melodisen pop-iskelmän ja melodisen hard rockin ero saattaa olla joskus kiinni vain laulukielestä ja sovituksesta. Till The Day I Die tuo mieleen Bon Jovin 80-luvun albumiraidat, kuten Hardest Part Is The Night, I’d Die For You ja Wild Is The Wind, mikä ei ole ollenkaan huono asia. Forever päättää levyn parhaiden Journey –balladien tapaan. Biisiin voi kuvitella Steve Perryn sielukkaan samettisen tulkinnan, mutta kyllä Jannekin hoitaa haulit himaan.
Insomnia on vakuuttava debyytti, jonka toivoisi leviävän pienen AOR-genrensä ulkopuolisiinkin korviin. DJ–tehtävissä olen huomannut, että 80-luvun melodiset hard rock -palat uppoavat yleisöön kuin vanhaan naiseen. Tietysti se on hyvin pitkälle nostalgia-arvoa, mutta voisin kuvitella Human Templenkin iskevän samaan yleisöön, jos se saa vain mahdollisuuden kuulla bändiä. Esimerkiksi alussa mainitsemani HIM:in suurimmat hitit ovat kaikki silkkaa melodista kasariheviä. Kysymys on vain oikeasta imagosta, esilletuonnista ja tuurista.
Quick translation: Janne Hurme is a qualified pop singer, but how can he handle melodic hard rock? If one gig I've seen and this album are anything to go by, very well. Janne is not a pop singer who suddenly has jumped into leather pants and decided to start rocking, he has had hard rock bands since 1986 with drummer Petri Lehto. I do recall wondering about his tattooed presence in a family game show or somewhere like that. Indeed, the original pop deal Janne got was on the strength of a demo with his WASTELAND band.
Human Temple financed the CD out of their own pocket and shopped the completed masters around, and MTM made the best offer. Good for them, as this is one of the best records in a long time. From the finnish hopefuls only Urban Tale has reached such quality with their debut.
Let's go through the album track by tracK: opener "I'm Sorry" could just as well be lifted from a HIM album, but most likely Hurme & Co haven't ripped off Ville Valo. Instead they are taking their influences from the same source - 80'ies Bon Jovi releases. The Hammond-organ adds a fine extra flavour. With "Goin' All The Way" the band takes a turn to the Bongiovi City again, while "Dreamchild" reminds me of Joe LYnn Turner-era Rainbow. Not one of the highlights, but a decent semi-epic number anyway. "Out Of Love" brings back memories of Treat, an old fave of mine - Scandinavian rock at its' best. "Desert Rain" I'm familiar with from the demo, and I recall the song making a big impression on the female-dominated audience at the gig. A fine ballad, which will excite the hard rocker chicks...
"Animal" is the weakest link here, without the catchiness of its' Def Leppard namesake and without the sheer, heh, animalism of the W.A.S.P. one. "Walk..." is also from the demo, and while the more upfront keys of the demo version suited the track better, it's clearly hit material. "Judas My Brother" is one of the more epic tracks of the album, and it would feel right at home on an 80'ies Malmsteen album. The self-centered Yngwie-styled widdly-widdly is thankfully missing. Timo Tolkki would be satisfied, if he could still come up with songs of this calibre. "On A Night..." was also on the demo, and Janne has recorded it with Finnish lyrics too. Sometimes the difference between a pop/"schlager" track and a melodic track is in the language and the arrangement only. "Till The Day I Die" reminds me of Bon Jovi's 80'ies album tracks, such as "Hardest Part...", "I'd Die For You" and "Wild Is The Wind", which isn't a bad thing at all. "Forever" closes the album in the tradition of the finest Journey ballads. You could imagine Steve Perry's soulful, smooth performance to it, but Janne does deliver the goods as well.
"Insomnia" is a convincing debut, which I hope would cross the boundaries of the small AOR genre. While DJ'ing, I've noticed that 80'ies melodic rock tracks work like a charm. Of course they have certain nostalgic value, but I could imagine them impressing the same audience, if given a chance. For example, the biggest hits of HIM are thinly disguised melodic 80'ies hard rock tracks. It's a question of the right image, presentation and luck.
Mika Penttinen, 27.05.2004
A review on the Classic Rock Newswire E-zine - Rating: 3/5
The debut release from a band formed back in 1998 in Finland and
now in 2004 they unleash their debut album. Joining the band are
guests including Nightwish's Emppu Vuorinen and Urban Tale's Erkka
Korhonen. In vocalist Janne Hurme you've got a classic hard rock
sound but for me he comes into his own on the quieter moments. Album
closer `Forever' is where Hurme's talent really shines highly melodic
and backed by piano. `Desert Rain' is another delight both musically
and vocally. Much of the material is hard rock – nothing awe
inspiring bar the radio friendly `Goin' All The Way' – Jaded Heart
meets Y&T and `Dream Child' gets the pulse racing with its guitar
workouts. What really saves this album from a run-of-the-mill one is
the mellower moments and some of the guitar playing, which is of the
high standard you'd expect with such guest guitarists.
A solid debut and a band that will be well worth hearing come
their second album.
Jason Richie, May 2004
A review on the french website www.hardrock80.com- Rating: 8,5/10
L'explosion du hard rock et du heavy metal pendant les années 80 a été un déclencheur de passion pour beaucoup de personne. C'est ce qui c'est passé pour Janne Hurme (chant) et Petri Lehto (batterie) deux jeunes finlandais.
Après avoir joué, tourné (et même sortit un album pour Hurme) avec différents groupes les deux musiciens forment ensemble Human Temple en 1998.
En 2002 une démo est envoyée aux labels, magazines et site webs. Les réactions sont positives et ceci jusque dans les critiques de fans. Pendant l'année 2003 le groupe enregistre son premier album qui sera commercialisé le 21.06.2004.
Qui ce "Insomnia" va intéréssé? et bien toutes les personnes qui aime le hard rock à la Tyketto. Mais arrêter la comparaison à cet unique groupe serait réducteur car c'est à beaucoup de groupe de hard rock Fm pêchu que Human Temple ressemble.
Plusieurs points positifs sont à mettre à l'actif du premier album du groupe:
Le cd commence très fort avec des titres comme "I'm Sorry", "Goin All The Way" etc.... de très bons titres tout simplement. La qualité baisse un peu lors du 6eme track "Animal" qui est le titre le plus faible de l'opus. La qualité revient aussitôt ce titre passé et "On A Night Like This" (et son intro magnifique) ou "Till The Day I Die", entre autre, vous feront eux aussi passer de bons moments.
Les ballades au nombre de deux sont sympathiques avec du piano et surtout cette voix magnifique qui dans ce type de morceaux prend toute son ampleur.
Au final un très bon album da hard rock mélodique avec une touche année 80 mais une production très actuel. Pierrick - 17.05.2004
How it all started: Reviews of the pre-"Insomnia" demos
(Anyone willing to translate this to english? E-mail us...)
- une production tout simplement excellente. C'est Jari Salo le guitariste qui était derrière les manettes.
- Un chanteur à la voix superbe qui fait de lui un des meilleur chanteur du genre actuellement.
- un album qui est l'un voir le meilleur de ce que MTM, le label, nous propose depuis le début de l'année 2004.