Album: Jackripper - Broken

Last year we reviewed Jackripper's EP. Since then, the band has been working on the release of their first album, which we were offered to review. Of course we couldn't say no! Jackripper is a rockband from Kokkola, a town on the Finnish west coast. Bandmembers are: Mika Rintala (drums), Janne "Zenna" Pollarikoski (guitar), Tuomas Känsäkangas (vocals) and Topi Myllykangas (bass).

The sound on Broken is the same as that of their EP; guitars, guitars and more guitars. It's fast, it's exciting and you can hear that these guys had fun recording the album! Jackripper makes a modern version of 80's rock, with lots of great guitar solos. Opening track Could I Ever Feel? is an introduction to Jackripper's sound, with a killer solo and high pitched backing vocals. Runnig Away has a more American vibe, it's faster and reminds you of western movies.

The biggest surprise on this album is Boystown, a cover, originally sung by Americana singer/songwriter Jesse Dayton from Texas. Tuomas almost sounds Spanish on this track, even more so in the acoustic version, which is the last song on the album. If you close your eyes, you can almost picture yourself being in a Mexican restaurant, being serenaded by a band that is standig at your table. The album also includes a song about Jackripper, who apparently is a mean motherfucker. Titletrack Broken is the slowest song on the album. It's an 80's rock ballad, again with a kind of American country & western feel, but with a Finnish accent.

Verdict: Jackripper is still unsigned, which is a shame, because I think that with the right people this band can be a lot bigger than they are now! If Backyard Babies can do it, the guys from Jackripper definitely can too! Check their myspace and listen!

Imre