I know for a fact that I was not the only person totally disappointed by Pasi Koskinen's departure from Amorphis back in 2004. You see, "Am Universum" is one of my favourite albums of all times, and the idea that I would never again be able to listen to a release of similar calibre by this band, filled my heart with sorrow.

Well, as we all know, Amorphis managed to get over their loss and released the amazing "Eclipse" earlier in the year, but what about the tall dark-haired frontman with the angelic voice? What has Pasi been up to lately?

It looks like the friendly Finn has managed to keep himself quite busy lately, performing in many different bands like Ajattara, Shape of Despair and To Separate the Flesh From the Bones, but the reason that brought his name back in the spotlight is his vocal contribution to Mannhai's latest studio effort "Hellroad Caravan".

I cannot say that I was aware of this band prior to the release of "Hellroad Caravan", but the eleven compositions that are featured in this Doomy/Stonery album are more than enough to convince me to invest in Mannhai's back catalogue. It only takes the first few notes of the opening track "Shellshock" to realise that this band really mean business.

With the same energy that characterises Spiritual Beggars and musical insanity that can often be found in Orange Goblin, the music of Mannhai is an explosive cocktail that will satisfy fans of Doom, Stoner and heavy Rock n'Roll.

There is not a single track in this album that can be classified as average or boring. You are guaranteed to enjoy the Monster Magnet-influenced "Fuzzmaster" as much as the quite rhythmical and groovy-sounding "Back in Red" and "Mojo Runner" and the Rock n'Roll opus "Rock in a Cradle (Detroit)". On the other hand, it would be quite unfair not to single out the amazing "Dumbuster" and the equally brilliant "Better Hate Yesterday", which both prove how well classic Black Sabbath riffs mix with stonery Kyuss-sounding tunes.

Finally, I would like to draw your attention to another killer composition entitled "Hall of Dead", whose main keyboard/hammond theme sounds a lot like Rainbow (R.J.Dio era).

Listening to "Hellroad Caravan" has been a really enjoyable experience, for many different reasons. Not only did I manage to discover another killer band, but also to catch up with Pasi Koskinen's latest works. If you are looking for something groovy and dirty, this album is definitely for you.

****½

Review by John Stefanis