MoonMadness
All In Between
(Blue Violet Records)

    In the midst of my remarkably misspent, Glam and Hair Metal-encrusted youth, I often found myself in search of variations of the standard issue Hard Rock and Heavy Metal formats that were both ear and eye pleasing, often with painfully disappointing results.  Although the obvious choices, most notably Fiona, Lita Ford and  to a lesser extent, Joan Jett, looked ‘…spanktastically great…’ on my bedroom walls, I generally found myself far from satisfied at the end of the day.  Honestly…did everything released by a female-fronted or an all-female act really have to be that Goddamn superficial?  Needless to say, when an ex-co-worker first introduced me to the red hot Finnish export MoonMadness via the group’s inexplicably overlooked Away From Home DVD, I knew my search--albeit seventeen ridiculously long years later--had at long last come to an end.
    On the stellar All In Between (2008), an expertly assembled ten song collection of brilliantly executed Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, each track, beginning with the maddeningly infectious lament “Stroke Of Midnight”, and the relentlessly pummeling “Shot Through The Wing”, instantly commands the rapt and undivided attention of all parties involved.  Undoubtedly attempting to capitalize on the unprecedented success of 2007’s Top 20 Stroke Of Midnight single, the group fires on all cylinders early and often, easily overpowering one’s somewhat unsuspecting senses with a dangerously multifaceted sonic attack.  Wasting little--if any--of the listener’s precious time, the group easily distinguishes themselves from their would-be contemporaries via a razor-sharp array of towering vocals, searing fretwork and deliciously intricate rhythms. 
    Continuing with the searing, emotionally charged “Before It’s Too Late”, and the disarmingly thunderous “Too Much To Lose”, the indescribably steadfast combination of vocalist Heidi Bergbacka (ex- I.O.U.), guitarist Otto Hallamaa, bassist Juha Leppäharju, former Dreamtale keyboardist Turkka Vuorinen, and drummer Antto Nikolai steamroll ahead with what can only be described as a sickening ease.  Proudly displaying their diligently honed Deep Purple/Ritchie Blackmore-inflected influences on their sleeves, the group wisely punctuates each exceedingly airtight composition with a carefully calculated enthusiasm that further highlights the group’s already deliciously unique ‘…modus operandi…’.  The resulting sonic onslaught, while inarguably derivative of its origins, is fraught with a seemingly intangible element of stark originality.    
    Co-produced by the acclaimed Mikko Saarinen at the now infamous Tampere, Finland-based Studio JJ (Juliet Jones, and Pepe Ahlqvist And Rolling Tumbleweed, to name only a few), other standouts, including the soaring “Victims Of The Moon”, and the equally impressive closer “On The Edge Of Madness”, only further solidify the group’s already burgeoning reputation as a creative and commercial force not to be ignored.  But is it truly that freakin’ good?  Absolutely!  A definite must-have for die-hard fans of all things female-fronted and melodic (particularly for those who cut their proverbial teeth on the Pop-tinged rubbish that is so often the once imaginative Evanescence), the occasionally frantic fivesome effectively ‘delivers the goods’ without resorting to the shameless, payola and chart-position-driven tactics so often employed by the genre’s would-be elite.
    So what’s wrong?  Nothing.  Not a single damn thing.  In fact, I highly doubt things could get any better.  With the majority--if not all--of the delightfully ‘…retro flavored…’ wares contained herein deftly appealing to both Dio-era Rainbow and Tarja Turunen-era Nightwish fans alike, what ultimately separates the undeniably ingenious All In Between (and thus the collective members of MoonMadness) from their few legitimate contemporaries is the group’s woefully underrated penchant for crafting instantly memorable, impossibly hook-laden material.  Not surprisingly, if you’ve once again found yourself in search of a slightly ‘Old School’ alternative to the woefully monotonous, Hip Hop-fueled din and clatter that is so often force fed en mass, then this, my friends, might just be the high octane cure for what ails you. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
          
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