CMX (band)

Infobox Musical artist
Name = CMX


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = group_or_band
Alias =
Origin = Finland
Genre = Hardcore punk
Rock
Progressive rock
Years_active = 1985 - present
Label = EMI, Bad Vugum, P. Tuotanto
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.cmx.fi/ www.cmx.fi]
Current_members = A. W. Yrjänä
Janne Halmkrona
Timo Rasio
Tuomas Peippo
Past_members = Kimmo Suomalainen
Pekka Kanniainen
Pasi Isometsä
Notable_instruments =

CMX, originally Cloaca Maxima, is a Finnish rock band. They started with English language hardcore punk, but later moved to a more mainstream style of rock music with Finnish lyrics. Throughout their career, they have been influenced by progressive rock bands such as Rush, Yes and King Crimson. The prog influence is most evident on their 2000 album "Dinosaurus Stereophonicus".

CMX has gradually gained large-scale mainstream following in Finland. They are especially known for the poetic lyrics of A. W. Yrjänä that often contain references to mythology and religion. Finnish rock magazines, particularly "Rumba", have named them Best Band of the Year multiple times, and even Best Band of All Time on one occasion.

History

Early years 1985-1990

CMX was founded on Good Friday 1985 in Tornio, Finland by A. W. Yrjänä (18 at the time) and Pekka Kanniainen.H. P. Blavatsky's book Isis Unveiled. [http://www.cmx.fi/bio/index.php?bio=2 CMX ] ] Over the next six months Kanniainen became the drummer, Yrjänä the bassist and singer. Kimmo Suomalainen played guitar. The band played mainly fast hardcore punk with the vocals sung in English; the language, however, soon changed into Finnish. The band shortened its name to CMX in 1986.

The first EP "Johannes Kastaja" was recorded 1987 in Kemi and released in 1988. The same year CMX performed for the first time outside of Tornio and its neighbouring areas, at Lieto punk rock festival. In 1989 the EP "Raivo" was released on a small label Bad Vugum. The band's first appearance at the Tavastia Club in Helsinki followed.

The first full-length album "Kolmikärki" was released in January 1990. The album received practically no radio airplay and sold less than 2000 copies during the first year. During the spring Pasi Isometsä was brought on as a second guitarist, however he would only stay in the band for less than a year. As the band moved south to Helsinki in late 1990, guitarists Isometsä and Suomalainen weren't willing to leave Tornio and eventually quit the band. They were replaced by Janne Halmkrona and, in early 1991, Timo Rasio. This lineup would remain the same for the following six years. In early 1991 they recorded another EP, "Tanssitauti", and later that year the band's second full-length album, "Veljeskunta". The aggressive hardcore approach of the album was generally well received by the press. [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gpfixq8kld6e allmusic ((( Veljeskunta > Overview ))) ] ] [ [http://desibeli.net/arvostelu/391 Levyarvio: CMX: Veljeskunta Gold ] ]

Mainstream success

1992's "Aurinko", released by the international EMI record label, won CMX both the Album of the Year and Band of the Year awards in a poll by "Rumba" magazine. The album saw CMX largely abandon the hardcore style in favor of more accessible mainstream rock songs.

In 1994, "Aura" was released. The album continued the trend towards mainstream audiences, which was criticized by the band's early hardcore fan base. Aura contained some of the band's best known songs to date, including the etheric ballad "Ruoste" and the radio-friendly (though lyrically hardly traditional) love song "Kultanaamio". [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:jpfixq8kld6e allmusic ((( Aura > Overview ))) ] ]

The trend continued with "Rautakantele", released in 1995 and produced by Yrjänä. Essi Wuorela appeared as a guest artist. [ [http://www.finnmusic.net/main.php?60565c55480775535112 CMX: RAUTAKANTELE / finnmusic.net ] ] "Pelasta maailma", the only single from the album, received some radio airplay and would later be covered by both Antti Tuisku and Vesa-Matti Loiri. [ [http://www.findance.com/arvostelut.php?id=2115 Arvostelu / Review - Antti Tuisku: Minun jouluni - Findance.com - Suomen suvaitsevaisin musiikkimedia ] ] [ [http://www.soundi.fi/arvostelut?addvote=4&nid=358 Soundi.fi Levyarvostelu: Vesa-Matti Loiri - Ivalo ] ]

Changes

For their next album, the band changed radically their approach to recording. "Discopolis" was engineered with Pro Tools in the studio and made heavy use of sampling to edit the songs together from a set of short guitar riffs. The album received mixed reviews: Allmusic wrote that "friends of the modern music will find "Discopolis" very attractive", [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:9jrsa9qgl23h allmusic ((( Discopolis > Overview ))) ] ] while Tero Valkonen, on his analysis of "Kultanaamio", expressed his dislike for the album, and called the song "Paha" a "rotten bad joke". [ [http://www.cmx.fi/arkisto/reader.php?file=kultanaamio_analyysi CMX ] ] "Discopolis" was the first CMX album to enter the Finnish album charts, peaking at 3. [http://finnishcharts.com/search.asp?search=CMX&cat=s finnishcharts.com - Finnish charts portal ] ] In 1997, Kanniainen left CMX saying that the band had become too professional for him. Tuomas Peippo was hired to replace him. The band's lineup has remained the same since. The same year CMX released a three-CD compilation album, "Cloaca Maxima".

1998-2003

The first album with Peippo, "Vainajala", was recorded in a cabin in Lapland and produced by Faith No More bassist Billy Gould. The band has said that the deliberately minimalistic sound of the album is largely thanks to Gould. [ [http://www.melankolia.net/musiikki/levyt/cmx.html#vaina CMX - Levyarviot - melankolia.net ] ] "Vainajala" was the first CMX album to top the Finnish album charts. In the Provinssirock festival 1999, CMX announced that they intended to stop playing live and concentrate on their studio work. [ [http://www.turunsanomat.fi/ajassa/?ts=1,3:1007:0:0,4:7:0:1:1999-06-20,104:7:29380,1:0:0:0:0:0: Turun Sanomat ] ]

"Dinosaurus Stereophonicus" (2000) was CMX's nod toward 1970s progressive rock bands, such as King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Yes. [ [http://www.soundi.fi/arvostelut?nid=5088 Soundi.fi Levyarvostelu: CMX - Dinosaurus Stereophonicus ] ] A two-hour double album, it contains progressive elements not before associated with CMX: three instrumental pieces, an emphasis on keyboards, long solos, and song lengths exceeding 10 minutes. CMX's first number 1 single, the peaceful and melodic "Myrskyn ratsut" was released before the album and featured strings and steel guitar. [ [http://www.melankolia.net/musiikki/levyt/cmx.html#myrskyn CMX - Levyarviot - melankolia.net ] ]

At the time "Isohaara" (2002) was released, CMX had already abandoned the idea of becoming a full-time studio band and started touring again. [ [http://www.soundi.fi/arvostelut?nid=3958 Soundi.fi Levyarvostelu: CMX - Isohaara ] ] The album was considered slightly heavier than its predecessor, and the guitar riffs of "Minne paha haudattiin" were compared to the music of Timo Rautiainen & Trio Niskalaukaus and Kotiteollisuus. [ [http://www.noise.fi/levyarvostelut/?id=42 Noise.fi : CMX - Minne Paha Haudattiin -arvostelu ] ] The album's lyrics concentrated less on mythology and religion and were closer to traditional rock lyrics, albeit keeping a dark, melancholical tone. Although less present than on "Dinosaurus Stereophonicus", prog influences hadn't been totally abandoned: the band uses a child choir on the title track and the uptempo rocker "Pohjoista leveyttä" contains a harmonica solo. [ [http://www.noise.fi/levyarvostelut/?id=44 Noise.fi : CMX - Isohaara -arvostelu ] ]

Bad Vugum re-released the first two CMX albums in 2002 as "Gold" versions that also included their early EPs. "Kolmikärki Gold" included "Johannes Kastaja" and "Raivo", and "Veljeskunta Gold" contained "Tanssitauti" and the original "Musiikin ystävälliset kasvot" EP.

A year after "Isohaara", "Aion" followed. The album was put together around a common theme of the essence and symbolism of evil. [ [http://desibeli.net/arvostelu/796 Levyarvio: CMX: Aion ] ] It was both a critical and commercial success and was described as a highly experimental album for such an established band. Guitarist Halmkrona plays trumpet on the first track of the album, and violins and synthesizers are heard on several songs. [ [http://www.noise.fi/levyarvostelut/?id=1556 Noise.fi : CMX - Aion -arvostelu ] ] Both "Melankolia" and, four months later, "Palvelemaan konetta" peaked the singles chart.

2004-present

The band's second compilation, released in 2004, followed the format of the 1997 "Cloaca Maxima" closely. Both consisted of 44 songs divided on three CDs, the first one for faster rock songs, second for ballads and third for B-sides of singles. [ [http://www.soundi.fi/arvostelut?nid=2091 Soundi.fi Levyarvostelu: CMX - Cloaca Maxima II ] ] The similarity was even evident from the name: "Cloaca Maxima II". This time the cover image was a naked woman on a blue background, whereas the first compilation had showed a naked man on red background. The compilation covered four albums from "Vainajala" to "Aion" and also featured three previously unreleased songs. [http://desibeli.net/arvostelu/1594 Levyarvio: CMX: Cloaca Maxima II ] ] The band had originally intended the compilation to only include the B-sides, and indeed the third disc was the one that received some praise from the press. [ [http://www.noise.fi/levyarvostelut/?id=3027 Noise.fi : CMX - Cloaca Maxima II -arvostelu ] ]

"Pedot" (2005) had some influences from contemporary rock bands such as Tool, A Perfect Circle and System of a Down, and combined straight rock songs with heavier and lighter elements, such as the minimalistic ballad "Eteläisen tähtitaivaan kartoitus" and the aggressive double bass drum sound of the title track. [ [http://www.soundi.fi/arvostelut?nid=1170 Soundi.fi Levyarvostelu: CMX - Pedot ] ] [ [http://www.noise.fi/levyarvostelut/?id=4999 Noise.fi : CMX - Pedot -arvostelu ] ] "Uusi ihmiskunta" was a number one hit, the sixth one for CMX in just over five years.

On the Tuuliajolla 2006 tour on Saimaa, CMX recorded a song in collaboration with fellow rock bands Kotiteollisuus and 51Koodia. Ambiguosly named "Vapaus johtaa kansaa" ("Liberty Leading the People" or "Liberty to Lead the People") was written by Yrjänä and released in 2006. [ [http://www.findance.com/arvostelut.php?id=2547 Arvostelu / Review - CMX & Kotiteollisuus: Vapaus johtaa kansaa - Findance.com - Suomen suvaitsevaisin musiikkimedia ] ] It reached first position on the Finnish singles chart.

CMX's most recent album, "Talvikuningas" (2007), is a space-themed rock opera and contains only one song, divided onto 12 tracks without pauses. Originally, the story about the power and fall of the Winter King (Talvikuningas in Finnish) was going to be the story of a novel by Yrjänä. The first edition of the album was soon sold out despite being much more expensive than a regular album. [ [http://www.hs.fi/viihde/artikkeli/CMX+s%C3%A4velsi+rockoopperan/1135229922544 CMX sävelsi rockoopperan - HS.fi - Viihde ] ] The press reviews were largely positive. [ [http://desibeli.net/arvostelu/3152 Levyarvio: CMX: Talvikuningas ] ] [ [http://www.noise.fi/levyarvostelut/?id=8068&r=1 Noise.fi : CMX - Talvikuningas -arvostelu ] ] "Helsingin Sanomat" called the album CMX's "third bullseye" after "Aura" and "Aion", [ [http://nyt.hs.fi/musiikki/artikkeli/1135230090538 CMX: Talvikuningas - nyt.hs.fi - Musiikki ] ] while "Soundi" magazine argued that the album will probably be a mere curiosity in the CMX saga. [ [http://www.soundi.fi/arvostelut?nid=6671&levyarvostelu=CMX_Talvikuningas Soundi.fi Levyarvostelu: CMX - Talvikuningas ] ]

Popularity

CMX is practically unknown outside Finland. However, Billy Gould of Faith No More produced their 1998 album "Vainajala". In Finland, CMX has won the "Rumba" magazine "Band of the Year" reader poll ten times. [ [http://www.elvisry.fi/022006/awyrjana.html SÄVELTÄJÄT JA SANOITTAJAT ELVIS ry. - A.W.Yrjänä 02/2006 ] ] In 2005, the band was even voted the "Best Band of All Time" by the magazine's readers, in favour of such bands as The Beatles, Metallica, Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden. [ [http://nyt.hs.fi/musiikki/artikkeli/1101978788059 Rumban äänestys: CMX kaikkien aikojen kovin - nyt.hs.fi - Musiikki ] ] In a "City" magazine poll, they were voted the best Finnish band of all time. [ [http://www.city.fi/lehti/arvostelut/pop/view.php?id=196 City.fi - Levyarvostelu ] ] In a "Helsingin Sanomat" reader poll in 2007, the readers voted both "Ruoste" and "Kultanaamio" in the top 10 of Finnish rock songs. CMX was the only band to have two songs in the top 10. [ [http://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/artikkeli/Rakkaimmat+rokit+-%C3%A4%C3%A4nestyksen+viisikymment%C3%A4+suosituinta+kappaletta/1135228541193 Rakkaimmat rokit -äänestyksen viisikymmentä suosituinta kappaletta - HS.fi - Kulttuuri ] ]

Ten CMX albums, including their both compilations, have been certified gold, each having sold approximately 20 000 copies. "CMX DVD" has also reached the gold record threshold for DVDs, which is 5 000 copies. The platinum record threshold for albums in Finland, which none of the band's albums have achieved, is 30 000 copies sold. [ [http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/kplista.html?action=vapaa&tyyppi=koti&haku=artisti&julkaisuntyyppi=albumi&teksti=CMX IFPI ] ]

Musical style

Early CMX was influenced by heavy metal, punk rock and progressive rock. [ [http://www.cmx.fi/en/biography/ CMX - www.cmx.fi ] ] During their career, they have explored several different genres of rock music. Their early EPs and albums up until "Veljeskunta" have been mainly hardcore, although combining a variety of styles. From "Aurinko" (1992) onwards, the band has been playing mainstream Finnish language rock. Progressive rock elements are always present in the band's music, most evidently on "Dinosaurus Stereophonicus" and "Talvikuningas". Many of the band's best known songs are ballads, such as "Ruoste" and "Pelasta maailma".

Lyrics

:"See also: A. W. YrjänäAll the band's lyrics are written by vocalist Yrjänä. His texts are often poetic, symbolic and intertextual, and contain themes of mythology, religion and philosophy. [ [http://www.ylioppilaslehti.fi/2002/020920/juttu_aw.html Y L I O P P I L A S L E H T I 20. syyskuuta 2002 ] ] Many CMX fans are attracted to the band particularly for Yrjänä's texts, although there are also people who can't stand the band because of them. [ [http://nyt.hs.fi/musiikki/artikkeli/1135229913255 CMX: Epäkaupallinen avaruusooppera - nyt.hs.fi - Musiikki ] ]

Lineup

During the early years of the band, the lineup changed several times. Since 1991, the only change has occurred in 1997, when drummer Pekka Kanniainen was replaced by Tuomas Peippo. A. W. Yrjänä is the only remaining original member.

Current lineup

* A. W. Yrjänä -- vocals, bass
* Janne Halmkrona -- guitar (1990-)
* Timo Rasio -- guitar (1991-)
* Tuomas Peippo -- drums (1997-)

Past members

* Kimmo Suomalainen -- guitar (1985-1990)
* Pekka Kanniainen -- drums (1985-1997)
* Pasi Isometsä -- guitar (1990)

Discography

:"See CMX discography".

References

External links

* [http://www.cmx.fi/ Official site]
* http://www.myspace.com/cloacamaxima
*