Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, I Walk The Line took their name from the legendary Johnny Cash, feeling it described the honest straightforward nature of the punk rock they played - back in 2003, the Man In Black was still very much alive and only a cult figure in the finnish punk rock scene and there was no hit movie made about him yet! Apart from dressing all in black, there is little else that nods to the classic country icon. The band plays dark resonant, melodic, edgy punk, pulling from such influences as Rocket From The Crypt, The Clash, Devo, Adolescents, Murder City Devils, Wipers, The Cure.. the list could go on and on but IWTL are all about listening to everybody and everything with an open mind and doing things their own way no matter what!
IWTL started as a side-project from the members' other bands at the time, Wasted and Manifesto Jukebox. IWTL quickly established themselves as a local must-see live act, bringing together fans of punk, hardcore and rock whenever they played. The band released their debut album Badlands on Combat Rock Industry / Boss Tuneage in 2004 and embarked on several tours of Germany and the UK, introducing the band to a wider international audience.
The second IWTL album Desolation Street was released in Germany and Finland in 2006 on Combat Rock Industry and was met with enthusiasm from the crowd and critics alike – the album hit the national charts, IWTL kept playing shows from small sweaty clubs to the biggest outdoor festivals and rocked them all! The Diamond Eyes single, released in July 2006, even reached 2 position on the charts.
Later that year the legendary US punk rock label Gearhead picked up the record after seeing IWTL play at the Popkomm festival in Berlin. Desolation Street was re-released in January 2007 and IWTL kept busy touring, going to Japan and the US for the first time as well as doing yet another tour of mainland Europe. After the summer IWTL took time off from the relentless touring schedule and started working on new songs.
On their much anticipated third album Black Wave Rising IWTL delivers 11 anthems with powerful hooks wrapped in a flood of guitars and keyboards. The album includes the snottiest punk songs the band has written so far as well as synth-driven new wavey tracks and everything in between, the key to everything being the band’s raw energy combined with strong melodies and songwriting, as well as singer/songwriter Ville’s distinctive voice and heartfelt lyrics.
Hhaha yeah I read it, such a good story about the tour. thanks for mentioning me, hopefully some hot blonde chicks finnish women will want to have sexy times with me now.
I'm thinking of heading to finland for a couple of months before going to the states with heartbreak club next year. Any work for me there? Jani?
