Dark (keywords: gothic metal, growling, melodic death metal)

So I'm making my second music thread, again focused on something sort of swept beneath the rug, to see if I can't introduce a little more light to it and see if anybody discovers a new band they dig..

Generally, Dark plays gothic, sort of melo-death metal influenced stuff drenched in atmospheric keys...sounds like a mix of mid-period Dark Tranquility, and Crematory, with a hint of some old school death metal like Grave. Except, really, uh, gothic. People who like stuff like old Tristania will get what I mean. That's the best I can do....


They have three albums out:


Endless Dreams of Sadness (1997)
Seduction (1997)
Revolution (1999)


'Endless Dreams of Sadness'... The best way I can describe this debut is as a more progressive, more keyboard influenced old Crematory or Sentenced? Some of the most odd death metal you'll hear, but has some very infectious and also some very beautiful moments. No clean vocals on this one....can't say I've heard any other albums quite like it..a big acquired taste unless you think the description of it sounds amazing..

'Seduction'.. I would say this CD is their masterpiece. It's one of the best albums I've ever heard from anybody, definitely desert island material for me (so long as I wouldn't decide to end myself). Reminds me some of mid-period Dark Tranquility, but remove power metal influence, make it more depressive and haunting. and throw a little more keyboard in the mix of superb songwriting. There are verse-chorus structures, but they take much different roads than most. There are 4 different voices or singing styles used throughout this album: 1. the slightly melodic growling (you have to listen to the YouTube thing below to sort of get what I mean), 2. rough clean male voice, 3. smooth clean male voice, 4. smooth clean female voice. A lot of times 3 of those or even all 4 will contribute throughout one song. There are a large variety of songs on this album, and the production is incredible, very slick but providing tons of atmosphere and space in the mix for each instrument.

'Revolution'... on here, they COMPLETELY change styles and revert into a weird gothic-space-radio-hard-rock-metal sound, with no dirty vocals...very radio friendly, good melodies but little to no lead guitar, growling etc. The clean voice in some of the contexts they have here is odd sounding and nasally at first. About half the album is really good, the other half, really forgettable. Oh, and the cover is..horrid.


As far as I've found, there's only two full songs to listen to on the whole internet.. both on YouTube... this one is from 'Seduction'...it's a great song, but the rest of the album is actually much better. The other one is one from 'Revolution' that somebody put to a Grand Theft Auto video, and I don't know that I want to post that. So I'm just posting this:

Was this the band you sent me those 2 CD's of?

















I sent them to ult.....

Used to have that Seduction Cd..
Not for me at all, so I traded it away.