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Darkblack
- The Barbarian's Hammer - Hot Dog City Records 2005
5 Songs
Running Time: 31:26
Pennsylvania's Darkblack have potential, and that's what's so frustrating about
the whole thing. The guitars are well-played, the drumming aggressive, and the
basswork from vocalist Tim provides a solid structure on
which to build a pretty decent power metal album.
Two problems,
though, will prevent this disc from causing a ripple in the
over-flooded Power Metal market, the first of
which being the vocals. While not a "bad" vocalist
by any means, the phrasing and inflections Tim employs have
him coming off like an erstwhile Geddy Lee, or bargain basement
Harry Conklin. His voice is rendered thin, not due to lack
of power, but for attempts to gain control he (as yet) hasn't
the ability to attain. His midrange is perfectly passable,
and in each song, there are sections in which I found myself
wailing right along with him. 'Bracers Of The Eagle's Talon'
begins with a furious downbeat, then the guitars literally
take flight in one of many, many solos which grace Darkblack's
first effort. I must admit, it's nice to hear an independent
band not afraid to play higher on the neck than the 5th fret
in these Drop D times. Is that a whammy bar I hear at 1:04?
I believe so, and dammit does it feel good! I'm not about to
say that the technique is always there with Darkblack,
but what they lose in proficiency is made up for in passion
for
a style of metal not known for putting a Lexus in the driveway
or a pool in the backyard. A meatheaded oldschool chug starts
off 'The Warhammer', instantly memorable in that "I've
heard this somewhere before but can't place it." way.
It's really here first, though, that the other problem becomes
noticeable. The solos (while good) tend to be thrown haphazardly
around, and may last anywhere from a dozen seconds to nearly
half a minute. I understand that soloing is part of the power
metal ethos (and it damn well should stay that way), but the
solo should always be built around the song, not vice versa.
So much are the songs structured around the plentiful solos
here, that the original idea becomes lost at times, rendering
the material less effective than it would be were the songs
cut down a bit. In a live setting, I can see these extended
sections completely ripping the faces off of the first few
rows, and turning up an already energetic performance that
extra few notches. In the studio, though, maybe the six to
seven-minute mark isn't something to be acheived with every
song. Still and all, both 'Bracers Of The Eagle's Talon' and
the Metallica (think from the demo/Kill
'Em All days) riffage
in parts of 'Tale Of Vengeance' are enough to make this a worthy
debut. With a trimming of the excess, and some vocal lessons to broaden
actual range and lend force, Darkblack could have a bright future
ahead. The Barbarian's Hammer is not for the casual power metal
listener, but diehard fans should find enough to satisfy their
curiosity.
www.hotdogcityrecords.com |
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