UMUR
"New Religion" is the 4th full-length studio album by Finnish, Oulu based thrash metal act Faff-Bey. The album was released through Poko International in 1994. It´s the successor to "Birthday" from 1991, although the two full-length studio albums are bridged by the 1992 "Ace of Spades" single.
"New Religion" is arguably Faff-Bey´s most diverse and dynamic release. Stylistically it features both aggressive and raw thrash metal elements of the early releases, but also a lot of more melodic and mid-paced heavy metal elements and several nods towards hard rock/rock´n´roll (there´s even a touch of funk here and there). Faff-Bey never had many leads or harmonies in their music, but on "New Religion" there are quite a few of those. Lead vocalist/guitarist Maike Valanne has changed his vocal style again, and gone are his otherwise brilliant snarl which has been replaced by a deeper and still raw singing style. But it´s ultimately a much less intense singing style and more influenced by hard rock than by metal.
"New Religion" features a decent sounding production, which is suited to the band´s new more heavy metal/hard rock oriented music style. While the album certainly has its moments and qualities, it´s overall not the most interesting release, and the tracks aren´t particularly memorable. Paired with Valanne´s new weaker vocal style, it doesn´t make for the best impression. The increased use of lead guitars is a positive element though, which some of the previous releases could have prospered from. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.