REVIEWS

Bandas On The Net (Argentina) NEW!
"Dos temas son poco, pero en este caso son el aperitivo para lo que (ojala) sea un brillante disco debut."

***
"Two songs is not much but in this case they offer an appetizer of what (I wish) may become a brilliant debut album."

Bandas On The Net (May 2004)

Multum In Parvo (Poland) NEW!
"Nie rozumiem, jak taki The Rasmus swiêci triumfy, a Aurora K nie, przeciez jest 100 razy lepsza niz te wymalowane gogusie i zmiata ich swoja muzyka... Co tu duzo pisac, swietna muzyka, czekam na pelnoczasowy album Finów." 9/10

***
"I don't understand how come a band like The Rasmus is triumphing and Aurora K not. After all, Aurora K are 100 times better than the painted clowns of The Rasmus and beat those with their music... To conclude, fabulous music and I'm waiting for the full lenght album from the Finns." 9/10

Multum In Parvo (February 2004)

In Sirene (Greece) NEW!
"Aurora K last year released this very good cd single with two songs... ...heavy guitar riffs and very good guitar solos... I will be waiting for their full length album." 8,5/10

In Sirene (January 2004)

Music Extreme (Argentina) NEW!
"This is a band that creates SONGS with capital letters developing their ideas from beginning to end with a lot of taste. Thumbs up for this rocking band!"

Music Extreme (October 2003)

Shapeless (Italy) NEW!
"Che strano recensire questo singolo... "

Shapeless (July 2003)

Krepuskulum (Brazil) NEW!
"Without any doubt that is one of the great promises of the new hard rock, we are already anxious for the complete album!"

Krepuskulum (May 2003)

AOR-Europe (Sweden/Finland) NEW!
"I must say that the lovely covergirl Katriina (vocals), is not only a sight for sore eyes. The voice is a chapter of its own really!"

AOR-Europe (April 2003)

Endemoniada (USA) NEW!
"Johnny’s guitar riffs give the music an edgy sound, simple bass lines and drumbeats keep this very enjoyable."

Endemoniada (March 2003)

Fame Of Metal (Germany) NEW!
"Auf den zwei Tracks wird hier gut gemachter Melodic Hardrock mit Prog Metal Anleihen geboten..."

***
"The two tracks offer well-made melodic hard rock with some traits of progressive metal... "

AK review (December 2002)

Fame of Metal - main site

Findance.com (Finland) NEW!
"Tässä yhtyeessä on selvää potentiaalia. Vielä kun biisi sattuu kohdilleen, niin jonkinlainen läpimurto lienee selvä juttu..."

***
"This band clearly has potential. With the right song, breakthrough of some kind should be inevitable..."

AK review [Finnish] (December 2002)
Rough Edge (USA) NEW!
"In fact, I think she [Katriina] could have done a hell of a better job than Madonna on a song for the James Bond Film "Die Another Day."

Rough Edge (December 2002)
Underground Empire (Germany) NEW!
"Wenn AURORA K es schaffen, in dieser Art weiterzumachen, können wir in Zukunft gewiß noch einige sehr genußvolle Klangerlebnisse erwarten..."

***
"If Aurora K can keep the current course we surely can expect some very enjoyable listening experiences in the future..."

AK review (December 2002)

Underground Empire - main site

Metallian.com (Canada) NEW!
"...let us make it clear that Katriina is a rock singer not one of those dime-a-dozen Finnish opera moaners..."

Metallian (November 2002)
Behind the Veil (Greece) NEW!
"We have here a band that the hard rock and metal listeners can't ignore easily..."

AK review (October 2002)

Behind The Veil - main site

Get Ready To Rock (UK) NEW!
"There is some very good guitar playing on this song and with a bit of radio exposure could become a hit..."

Get Ready To Rock (October 2002)


Metal Judgement (USA) NEW!
"Aurora K is a band that seems to get a lot of bang for their Markka* (the Finnish monetary unit)..."

Metal Judgement (October 2002)


* Actually, it's euro nowadays.
Metal Centre (USA) NEW!
"The only thing that disapoints me about this cd is it is only a 2 track disc and it left me wanting more..."

Metal Centre (October 2002)

Sleazegrinder (USA) NEW!
"Fans of European melodic metal, particularly those of you that have outgrown all that trolls and dragons nonsense, check this ever-evolving band out..."

Sleazegrinder (October 2002)

Metal Kingdom (Chile) NEW!
"Aurora K is possibly the type of band of Hard Rock that can take a topic and turn it into a Hit."

Metal Kingdom, (September 2002)

The Temple of Metal (Greece) NEW!
"...this work definitely worths the attention of any "thinking" heavy rock fan out there. Hell, even Bon Jovi started from somewhere..."

The Temple of Metal, (September 2002)

Let's Make Some Noise (Finland) NEW!
"Biisit kuunneltuani täytyy vain ihmetellä, miten kauan tällainen bändi saadaan pidettyä piilossa. Bändissä on potentiaalia vaikka mihin..."

***
"Having listened to the songs I can only wonder how long this kind of band can be kept as a secret. This band has potential to almost anything..." >>, [English translation]

Let's Make Some Noise , (August 2002)

Babylon Magazine (Italy) NEW!
"There's even a multimedia track, with the amazing video of "11th Hour", which footage could smash up 90% of the other metal videos of today, because of its high images quality..."

Babylon Magazine, (July 2002)

Metal-Guide (Creece) NEW!
"but counting on what I had heard it's an album that Hard Rock fans will like..."

Metal-Guide, (June 2002)

The Pure Rock Shop (USA) NEW!
"If ever a melodic hard rock band had a chance to re-energize this style in the United States Aurora K would be a stronger contender..."

The Pure Rock Shop, (June 2002)

Metalhel (Finland) NEW!
"Aurora K's 11th Hour is one of the best promos I have recieved via mail..."

Metalhel, (June 2002)

The Original Sin (Belgium) NEW!
"Some bands really profit from all the opportunities the internet brings. From relatively unknown band, Aurora K became a beloved band on the famous mp3-com charts as "Rosalie", a medium tempo ballad, became a number one hit in the metal-section of the mp3-com charts. Lots of gigs in home country Finland followed and now a small Finnish label Soundmen Records offered them the chance to record a cd-single which is 11th Hour, released with a video that´s been shown several times on Finnish tv-channels. Now Aurora K are a duo (Katriina and Johnny A.) and even if they are labelled as metal I think alternative rock is more to the point as they have the melodic talent of Garbage and the dirtiness of L7. For such a small band everything is represented in a very professional way... excellent cover, good production. Aurora K should be a nice chance for success, I mean ...why should it always be American or British bands that are seen as important? Try a Finnish band for a change and start with Aurora K!" - Review by Didier Becu, The Original Sin, June 2002

Monsters World of Metal (Canada) NEW!
"The European monopoly, the Scandinavias that is, keep going and going. The next round begins with Finland as they bring us the one man-one woman fronted Aurora K..." Read more!

Monters World Of Metal, May 2002

Still Online (Belgium) NEW!
"Aurora K plays a kind of melodic hardrock with female vocals. The band is not really going back in the past and is no oldschool hardrock band. The vocals are normal female vocals and she is doing a good job. The music is very melodic with a lot of repetitive parts. The keyboards has also a important place in the music that creates some nice backgrounds and some nice calm parts. The music has also very rocking sound and I can believe that the band on the stage will be a heavy rocking machine. The sound is very clear even the female vocals. It is hard to describe the band's music, because this is only a single with 2 songs on it." - Review by Gr!ndk!ller, Still Online #43, September 2002
SF Perkele (Finland) NEW!
[Finnish original]

"Tämä omakustannesinkku sisältää kaksi biisiä ja nimikkobiisistä tehdyn mukavan tasoisen videon. Joten mukavalla pohjalla ollaan arvostelua varten. Sitten itse musiikkiin... 11th Hour on soundeiltaan ihan hyvä, eikä biisitkään mitään huonoja ole. Jotain Skunk Anansie/Lullacry yms. tyylisuuntaa kai tässä vähän haetaan. Eli siis raskasta ja melodista rockasennetta naislaulajalla. Vaikka nykyään tarjontaa alkaa olemaan melkoisesti tälläkin alueella maailmanlaajuisesti, kyllä tänne Suomeen kernaasti vielä mahtuisi kaiken maailman Voutilaisten ja Vilkkumaiden rinnalle ihan ehtaa rockmimmi-kamaakin. Ja sitä Aurora K ihan kohtalaisella tunteella sinkullaan tarjoilee... Muusikkojen osalta sanoisin että perfomanssi on huolella hiottua ja mallikelpoista esitellä, mitä kyllä esittelyjen pohjalta osasinkin odottaa. Soittajaryhmä on perustrio (g,b,d) rock- kokoonpano, eikä tämä musiikki tippaakaan enempää kaipaa. Koskettimiakin on otettu vain mausteeksi, mikä on erittäin hyvä, koska niillä taipumus jostain syytä saada biisit kuulostamaan kevyemmiltä. mitä taas tämän laatuinen musiikki viimeiseksi kaipaisi. Jos nyt jotain nillitettävää etsii, niin soitanto kuulostaa vähän liiankin hiotulta, koska jotenkin tuo rockhenki kärsi liian kliinistä soittamisesta. Enemmän rosoisuutta peliin, ja sellaista livetatsia tuomaan energiaa muuten hyviin biiseihin... Koska tälläinen musiikki lepää melkoisesti laulajan suorituksessa, on valitettavasti todettava että Katriinan vokalisointi latistaa hieman muuten hyvän kokonaisuutta. Vaikka Katriinan lauluääni ei ole mikään huono, tällä sinkulla se on kuitenkin liian melankolisen "puhdasta" ja tasapaksua. Ainoastaan kertosäkeiden taustoissa paljastuu että kyllä potentiaalia olisi värikkäämpääkin tyyliin. Jälleen kerran paasaan tästä samasta aiheesta, eli enemmän rohkeutta ja "munaa" siihen vokalisointiin. Se kun on aa ja oo siihen, että kokonaisuus toimii. Vaikka biisit olisivat kuinka hiottuja ja hyviä, tämänkaltainen laulun värittömyys vei niiltä pohjaa. Siksi neuvoksi antaisin että Katriina, joka omaa erinomaisen rock-lookin ja hyvät laulajan pohjat, osoittaisi lauluäänessään samankaltaista bitch-asennetta kuin erinomainen nimikkovideokin antoi ymmärtää. Aurora K ansaitsee kyllä tämän tyyppisen musiikin diggareiden tutustumisen. Suosittelen lämpimästi. 8/10" - Review by Marko Heino, SF Perkele, May 2002

*

" This indy single includes two songs and a nice quality video of the title track. So, we are on a solid ground up for a review here. Let’s check out the music… As for the sounds, 11th Hour is ok and the songs are far from being bad. They probably had in mind, to some extent, the style of bands like Skunk Anansie and Lullacry ie. heavy and melodic rock attitude with a female singer. Although, there’s plenty of supply also in this genre worldwide nowadays, there by all means should be enough room in Finland – along side of “every-Joe’s” Voutilainen and Vilkkumaa - for this kind of genuine rock-babe stuff. And, that’s exactly what Aurora K delivers on their single with a fair feeling… As for the musicians, I would say that the performance is well-polished and exemplary. Well, this is something I already expected based on their press material. The players form a basic rock trio (g,b,d) and that’s all this kind of music needs. Additional keyboards have also been used but only as a spice which is really good because for some reason they often tend to make the songs sound lighter, which is the last thing this kind of music needs. If something really needs to be dug out to criticise, it must the playing itself because it sounds a little bit too polished. The rock spirit suffers from too clinical playing. More roughness and live feeling are needed to bring energy to otherwise fine songs. Because this kind of music rests pretty much on the singer’s shoulders it’s my unfortunate pleasure to comment that the vocals are laming a bit the otherwise good overall work. Katriina’s voice is not bad but on this single it’s however too melancholically “clean” and monotonous. Only the backing vocals of the choruses reveal that there’s potential for a more colourful style. Again I’m preaching about this same subject; let’s put more courage and “balls” into the vocals! That’s the prerequisite for a good overall output. No matter how well rehearsed and good songs you’ve got, this kind of discoloured vocal performance steals the bottom from them. Therefore, my advice is that Katriina, who has an outstanding rock-look and the talent of a good singer, should show in her voice similar type of bitch-attitude that the excellent title-track video showcases to us. Aurora K surely deserves to be familiarized among those who dig this kind of music. I warmly recommend. Points: 8/10" - Review by Marko Heino, SF Perkele, May 2002)

The Darkest Hours (Canada) NEW!
"First of all I wanna say that this release is a single containing only 2 songs + a video. Aurora K is a melodic hard rock band fronted by a female, Katrina. She is a good vocalist for sure. She don't have the typical female vocals that we are used to hear , so it must sound weird but it's unique for sure. As for the 2 songs, the first one, 11th Hour, reminds me a bit of Megadeth in the Countdown/Youthanasia era. And the verse remind me the song Until It Sleeps from Metallica a bit. A good hard drivin' song with a nice groovy guitar riff (kind of symphony of destruction groove!). The video for that song is also very cool! That looks amazing for a low-budget video. Great! As for the second song on the single, it's more kind of a up-tempo ballad. Very melodic piano. A great hooks especially the chorus. I would be very curious to hear more material from this band with a better production. With a better sound it would be awesome!!!! Note: 75%" - Review by Patrick Dumas, The Darkest Hours, May 2002
SLAM! (Italy) NEW!
"Già presentati lo scorso anno nella sezione "new bandz" ecco che ritornano i finlandesi Aurora K che, dopo la dipartita dell'originale sezione ritmica hanno preso tra le loro fila nuovi membri: Santtu Kujala, Joachim Silberstein e Suvi Salo che si vanno ad aggiungere ai due veri pilastri della band, la bella vocalist Katriina e al chitarrista Johnny A. Lo scorso aprile è uscito questo "11th Hour" primo vero singolo ufficiale del gruppo prodotto da una piccola label del posto che gli ha dato l'opportunità di registrare due tracce e il video (inserito anche nel CD) della title-track che vi consiglio di vedere perché è veramente ben fatto nonostante il basso budged a disposizione. Il primo dei due brani, "11th Hour" è un vigoroso hard rock impostato sul buon lavoro alla chitarra di Johnny A e sull'interpretazione "cattiva" della vocalist di Helsinki, mentre le tastiere in "The Hopeless" mi portano a pensare ad una versione al femminile degli HIM (meno gothici). Ancora presto per dare un giudizio completo al gruppo, ma se come stanno facendo punteranno sull'immagine e la presenza di Katriina, credo che potranno ottenere dei riscontri molto positivi." - Review by Moreno Lissoni, SLAM!, May 2002

*

"Already last year in the "New Bands" category featured Aurora K from Finland returns with a new line-up. Since the departure of the original rhythm section three new members have been selected, Santtu Kujala, Joachim Silberstein and Suvi Salo who, together with the two main pillars of the band - beautiful Katriina (vocals) and Johnny A. (guitar) - now form the band. Aurora K released it's first official single called 11th Hour this April. It's a question of a small label deal which made it possible for the band to record two songs and a video (included on the CD) of the title track. I advice you to take a look at the video because it has been very well made despite the low budget at hand. The first track 11th Hour is a powerful hard rock number featuring the good work on guitar by Johnny A. and the "mean" interpretation of the vocalist Katriina, whereas the keyboards in The Hopeless brought to my mind a feminine version of HIM (but less gothic). As for now, it's too early to give the final verdict about this band, but if they keep on investing in the presence and image of Katriina, I would think that they can get a very positive reception." - Review by Moreno Lissoni, SLAM!, May 2002
Strutter webzine/magazine (Netherlands) NEW!
"11th Hour is a new CD single by the female fronted Finnish rockband AURORA K. The CD contains two songs, of which the titletrack "11th hour" is also featured as videoclip on the disc. This is a very cool video to watch, and it was made very professionally. The song itself is a modern influenced rocker. The other featured song is called "The hopeless" and that's the best song out of the two, as this a good uptempo melodic rocker. This recommended to all of you who are into today's style of female fronted melodic pop/rock. Points: 7.0 out of 10” - Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem, Strutter, May 2002




Demo (©2000) reviews

Fireworks Magazine (UK)

"Seems as if Finland is slowly becoming the new home for some of the best new bands around, look no further than the excellent Urban Tale for proof, whilst UT dabble with AOR, AURORA K dabble with melodic rock with a sleazy edge. Aurora K are fronted by gorgeous blonde haired rock babe Katriina whose vocals are very similar to Pat Benatar and Lita Ford. The bands three track CDR is pretty good but could use a polish in the production ranks. Their music is whats important though, and the first song 'Black Ice' is a very catchy early eighties hard rock a'la Hellcats meets Rock Goddess with Slash style guitar work from Johnny A. 'Rosalie'' is a slow burning melodic number that's very enjoyable and the last song 'Wild At Heart' is the best song, a commericalised song with lots of character and a slighty bluesy edge. The track reminds me of Tia Carrera's perfomance in the movie Wayne's World. Katriina's puts in an admirable performance and hits some really high notes as does Johnny's great axe work. Overall Aurora K have lots of potential, they do however need to concentrate on their production sound - I look forward to more songs from this band with great anticpation. Recommended." - Review by Nick Baldrian, Jan. 2001




Strutter webzine/magazine (Netherlands)

"This band comes out of Helsinki, Finland features 3 girls and one guy (who plays guitar). Musically they play energetic 80s typed melodic hard rock with raw vocals of female vocalist Katriina. There are 3 songs on the band's demo. Two uptempo rockers ("Black ice" and "Wild at heart") and a semi rocker called "Rosalie" that made it to the top of the Heavy Metal charts on mp3.com! Not a bad start for a band founded late 1999. Rating: 7/10" - Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem, Strutter, Feb. 2001




SLAM! (Italy)

"Nati nel 1999 ad Helsinki i melodic hard rocker finlandesi hanno come background musicale gruppi come Deep Purple, Van Halen e KISS. La band è formata da 3 (!) ragazze e un ragazzo: Hey-D alla batteria, Sipi al basso, Johnny A. alla chitarra e la bellissima Katriina al microfono che sono sicuro che farà molto parlare di se in futuro perché oltre alle doti fisiche mostra una buona abilità come cantante. Il mini CD di tre pezzi che ho tra le mani presenta una band energica e tosta per nulla mielosa e scontata e se non ci credete scaricatevi "Black Ice" così potrete rendervi conto che a Helsinki non esiste solo il Death metal, il gothic o lo Scan Rock, ma c'é anche posto per del classico hard rock. Del tris di song la mia preferita resta "Wild At Heart" con la chitarra di Johnny e la voce di Katriina in primo piano." - Review by Moreno Lissoni, SLAM! #11, Summer 2001




Soundi Magazine (Finland)

"Naisia näkee vieläkin harvoin raskaamman rockin bändeissä, mutta Aurorassa niitä riittää. Yhtye soittaa hard rockia, joskaan bändi ei lukeudu tyylisuunnan rankinpiin yhtyeisiin. Katriinan äänessä on potkua, mutta väriä ja rohkeuttakin siihen kaipaa vielä lisää. Sovituksissa on vielä miettimistä, sillä anti kuulostaa harmillisen riisutulta ja sen tähden tavattoman köykäiseltä. Wild At Heartissa bändi pääsee kiinni ajatuksesta, sillä siinä alkaa olla koukkuja, joihin tarttua. Yhtye soittaa perin varovaisesti. Kenties toinen kitara auttaisi kokonaisuuden kannalta asiaa." - Review by Marko Säynetkoski, Soundi Magazine, Demoefekti 3/2001
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Gods Of Music
Read a review for Aurora K at GodsofMusic.com