Though originating from Poland, Darzamat
have more in common with Norway's black metal scene. On Transkarpatia,
the band combines the symphonics of black metal and the aggression
of death metal with a gothic atmosphere, creating a dark,
majestic sound. The name Darzamat is derived from Slovanic
mythology, in which Darzamat is a protective deity of gardens
and forests. This is fairly accurate when describing the band's
chilling sound. While listening you feel as if you are part
of some gothic tale that is unfolding while the soundtrack
is played out for you. Forget your latest horror music CD
when next Halloween comes around. Play Transkarpatia and everyone on the block will be talking about your house
the day after trick-or-treating.
To enjoy a band such as Darzamat, you almost have to listen
as if you are watching a horror movie. Is it meant to be taken
seriously? Yes, of course, but if you enter into your listening
mode with this in mind, you'll have a more fullfilling experience.
Comparisons to Cradle Of Filth and many of their followers
can easily be made due to the backing of a dark symphony and
black metal blast beats. In between, there are the haunting
vocals of female singer Nira. Darzamat use the standard female
clean vocals mixed with death metal male vocals, but they
do it well with the two vocalists trading off with one another
on almost a constant basis. Nera'a vocals are not the high
pitched standard female vocals either. They are more of a
beautiful monotone.
"Vampiric Prose" is the perfect, if not typical, opener showcasing
much of what Darzamat is all about. "Hallucinatiuons" is the
closest the band comes to Cradle Of Filth, with catchy lyrics
and slower layers of guitars giving way to a stop-start type
riff that Cradle of Filth is now famous for. "Labyrinth Of
Anxiety" is a dark and brutal slab of black metal, while "Virus"
is a slow, atmospheric ballad that allows Nera to show off
her darker vocals. There is enough here for many hours of
listening, as there it is impossible to hear everything on
the first listen.
Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden, the album was produced by
Andy La Rocque of King Diamond fame. He has crafted a near
masterpiece of dark metal. Complex arrangements, eerie melodies
and sheer black metal aggression combine with Darzamat's love
of the dark, creating an interesting album. Transkarpatia is one of the most impressive gothic metal recordings in quite
some time. I would recommend Darzamat to fans of Lacuna Coil,
Flowing Tears, Dimmu Borgir and Cradle Of Filth.
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