Helalyn Flowers

Disconnection
by Scott Hefflon

For nearly a year I’ve been listening to this five-song EP from Italy’s Helalyn Flowers. Only unsigned bands to ever get that kind of longevity in my player are/were Moon Theory, Regenerator, Dope Stars, Inc, and way back when, Circle of Dust. Between Metropolis and Napalm you can satisfy your craving for quality darkwave and industrial and Gothic metal, and some goodies may slip in from Projekt, Century Media, Nuclear Blast, the odd signing of Fields of the Nephilim to SPV, and scattered releases from WTII and Dancing Ferret and maybe Black Rain, but really, anyone who bitches that there aren’t any good, dark electronic-obsessed bands anymore must be looking to MTV or something foolish, cuz they’ll play Evanescence and maybe Lacuna Coil to death, but never turn you onto anything new.

Helalyn Flowers are a two-piece, a female singer/programmer and a male guitarist/programmer/synth player. Both are striking good looking. There’s a session bassist who makes himself known, but what they really need is a live drummer. The programmed drums mesh nicely at times, but when they rock out, you wanna know that there’s a ripped dude in the background, twirling sticks and throwing his hair around. And rockin’ out is when Helalyn Flowers are at their best, to these ears. I’m not a fan of the choppier, kinda rappy stuff (many bands do it, it must either be lots of fun to play, or there’s an audience for it I’ve been lucky enough never to meet), but when they let it soar like Leaves’ Eyes (with more electronics), they can make you stop what you’re doing to cock your head and close your eyes. Fuck yeah! “Disorder,” the song on the Lollipop mp3 CD, starts off a little generic, but by the end of its 5:30, if you haven’t found a new favorite band to namedrop that none of your friends have heard of, check to make sure you have a pulse.
(www.helalynflowers.com)