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Sweden's Darkane is a melodic thrash metal band that has
been around since 1998. While they haven't disappointed during
a career of four solid thrash metal albums, they never seem
to achieve their maximum potential or carve out their own
niche in Sweden's crowded metal scene. With new vocalist Jens
Broman (Construcdead/The Defaced) on board for Demonic
Art, will this be the album that takes Darkane to the
next level?
No. Darkane always has been one of these bands stuck between
mediocrity and greatness. A particular song will stand out
and start to get me into the band, but over the course of
an entire album, they never sustain my full attention. The
same holds true for Demonic Art. Broman's straining
vocal style isn't that far removed from former vocalist Andreas
Sydow. To tell you the truth, if I hadn't read the in-depth
biography that was provided, I never would've known. In fact,
Broman's vocals are the main thing that holds back Demonic
Art. His monotonous screams are the same tone and pattern
in each and every song. He often sounds like the late
comedian Sam Kinison. (Yeah, the little fat guy with long
hair that screamed obscenities at the top of his lungs for
his act).
Musically, Darkane employs an arsenal of metal styles,
including elements of thrash, death and even black metal,
attacking from all directions. Standouts are “Absolution,”
“Execution 44” and “Demonic Art.”
“The Killing of I” starts with a killer riff and
sounds like it's going to knock you on your ass, then
the lyrics ruin it. “The killing of I/Gone with a blink
of an eye/Oh, the killing of I/Your soul is set to die.”
Is this the best we can come up with? It's 2009 and these
lyrics sound as if they were lifted from some RPG video game.
Demonic Art has its strong points, starting with
the songs mentioned above and the album's disturbing artwork
by Fredrik Odman. Also, Darkane proves it's possible to combine
several styles of extreme metal without sounding like a car
wreck with a dying animal screaming over it. Even with a lineup
change, they've remained consistent with Demonic Art;
above-average extreme metal. Their wide range will appeal
to fans of Testament, Slayer, In Flames, Fear Factory, Machine
Head, Meshuggah, Soilwork, Susperia and Dark Tranquility,
among many others.
®2009 Live-Metal.net
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