BATTLE BEAST – No More Hollywood Endings
Dear friends, after talking about BATTLE BEAST‘s laters alum, “No More Hollywood Endings” in our March Releases -Podcast and many of hours of listening to the album, I decided to write down some thoughts about this Party Power Metal album by the Finnish band.
Let’s begin with a brief history of BATTLE BEAST: after winning two big music contests (Wacken Metal Battle and a band competition held by major Finnish radio station “Radio Rock” in 2010) early in their career, their start was very promising. The success is still going on: their last three albums hit #1 position of the Finnish album charts.
A big crash for the band (and later the fan base) was the break up with former main composer Anton Kabanen (now: BEAST IN BLACK) due to musical and personal disagreements in 2015.
Lots of fans may say that since Anton left, so did the “BEAST” and the “BATTLE” in the band’s music. It got more poppy, catchy, “softer“. I can agree with that statement but nonetheless, in 2019 BATTLE BEAST is still lots of FUN! Noora Louhimo states her point of view in an interview (German language):
“They [the fans] will hate the album, or they will love it.”
– Noora Louhimo (Interview with metal.de)
But still, I was very skeptical after the first songs and music videos (‘Eden’ and ‘Endless Summer’) came out, whether or not I would like the new album. So soft, so poppy, so strange… Especially ‘Endless Summer’:
“Well… okay… WTF??!”. Those were my first thoughts.
But luckily I watched the Track-by-Track videos and changed my mind.
I love this band <3
They present themselves as crazy and
The first five songs on “No More Hollywood Endings” are quite poppy and don’t make it easy to find access to the music if you expect the former Heavy Metal sound.
But on the second part of the album there are some fu***** amazing songs.
I can recommend the songs ‘Piece Of Me’, ‘Raise Your Fists’ and ‘World On Fire’.
New and interesting are the strings and choirs on the album that create a bombastic Symphonic Metal sound. Some intros remind me of NIGHTWISH or BEYOND THE BLACK. There is also more than one ballad on “No More Hollywood Endings”: ‘Unbroken’, ‘I Wish’ ‘Eden’, such as ‘Bend And Broken’ are very emotional Power Metal ballads.
Although the 80s sound is easy to listen, it also should be said, that the lyrical topics are more than some Power Metal party songs. ‘I Wish’ deals with the loss of a loved person, ‘Unbroken’ is about bullying and ‘No More Hollywood Endings’ tells a story about emancipation.
So what to say after all? “No More Hollywood Endings” may not become my all-time favorite. But if you like Symphonic Power Metal with a big portion fun, I can definitely recommend the album.
Maybe we can describe BATTLE BEAST now as a “funnier version of NIGHTWISH” 😉
If you’ve been missing some humor in NIGHTWISH, this is an album you don’t want to miss. Do you like “No More Hollywood Endings”? Or do you prefer the old BATTLE BEAST? Tell us in the comments!
05/12/2019 @ 23:11
I agree and disagree with a lot of the points raised here and elsewhere by fans. Yet, it seems that most criticisms of Battle Beast’s latest album comes from a short memory. Battle Beast has always had at least one soft/pop song on each one of their albums. The only exception was their self-titled album in 2013.
‘Savage and Saint’, off of the album Steel (2011), was a softer ballad.
Unholy Savior (2015) not only had the softer ballad, ‘Angel Cry’, it also had one of their more poppier (if not, poppiest) songs, ‘Touch in the Night’.
While Bringer of Pain (2017) was after Anton’s departure, the album still retained the band’s usual sound. The album had their usual softer ballad, ‘Far from Heaven’, and a poppish song, ‘Dancing with the Beast’. Arguably, ‘Familiar Hell’ has a poppy/dance sound to it as well.
Even Battle Beast’s self-titled album, released in 2013, has a soft instrumental track. While ‘Golden Age’ may not be a ballad per se nor a pop sound, it is still a far cry from anything “heavy”.
Anton’s new project, Beast in Black, retains much of the similar sounds of Battle Beast. Some tracks holding a dancy beat akin to an 80’s sound. I would argue the Beast in Black has more of a pop/dance sound than Battle Beast ever has. Or, at the very least, is on par with the No More Hollywood Endings album.
Listen to the following songs by Beast in Black and see what I mean: ‘Sweet True Lies’, ‘Ocean Deep’, ‘Blind and Frozen’, ‘Ghost in the Rain’, ‘Crazy Mad Insane’, and ‘From Hell with Love’.
Admittedly, hearing ‘Endless Summer’ was pretty jarring at first — especially when the only songs I was familiar with were ‘Let It Roar’ and ‘Into The Heart of Danger’. But it has certainly grown on me as I have come to appreciate it for what it is rather than what I would expect or want it to be.
All bands go through their own evolution and changes. Sometimes they get tired of the same sound and try experimenting, other times the changes are natural. Fans can be fairly resistant and critical as many want the same sound that made them love the band in the first place.
I’m not saying Battle Beast’s sound hasn’t changed, just that they haven’t changed as much as people say they have. And I don’t think Anton’s departure was the game changer as his new band, Beast in Black, sounds the same if not dancier.