CMX seemed to have another bad season on the experimental Discopolis, but luckily rock is the keyword on Vainajala. The main reasons for that may be the new producer, ex-Faith No More bassist Billy Gould, and the place of recording, a cabin in Lapland. The first half of Vainajala is impressive. Starting songs "Iskusavelma" and "Surunmurhaaja" include the most attractive riffs by CMX for years, and Mara Salminen's keyboards do great work on background. The sound itself has been kept heavy and simple, so the whole comes better alive. Gould has his effect on Vainajala -- that's for sure -- because the album is pure rock without any unnecessary tricks. Just unfortunately Vainajala's highlights don't live long enough, and the album's listened through quite quickly. Since the three latest CMX albums (before Vainajala, Discopolis, and Rautakantele) this has became a tradition, but of course this doesn't make any album automatically bad. Vainajala is full of great moments and it's a good follower for previous CMX albums.