DARKBLACK - Midnight Wraith EP

Not much is known about the metal band DARKBLACK, other than the silly name and their style of music is a good combination of traditional power and speed metal.  Having released their debut album Sellsword in 2009, there isn’t much of a track record to go on; given that it was only one of two releases (the 2005 EP The Barbarian’s Hammer was the other).  Since the debut, it seems that DARKBLACK is ready to go, with an EP in Midnight Wraith to tide the listeners over until a new album comes out.

One thing that is noticed throughout Midnight Wraith is that DARKBLACK plays a no-nonsense style of metal.  In fact, they seem to just go through the EP without really doing anything fancy.  That is where the problem lies (even with the positives of such a concept), as with an EP, one would think about experimenting a little with the sound, or even the vocals just to figure out what works and what doesn’t.  The vocals aren’t too over the top, which makes getting into DARKBLACK somewhat easy, but it will likely take many listens to truly figure out what makes the band stand out from the rest of the pack.  For all of the negatives about taking the safe approach on the EP, there are also some positives, in that the solos are competent and solid, if unspectacular, and the trio shows some good songwriting ability, where the straight ahead approach serves them well.  Songs such as “Power Monger” and the title track are at least, worth a couple of listens.

DARKBLACK has some room to grow, which is evident on the Midnight Wraith EP.  There is potential within the band that has yet to be tapped, something that I wish they would have gone into further on the EP.  However, there is also a solid base to work from, which should at the very least, give the listener a reason to keep an eye (and ear) on DARKBLACK in the future.  For now, though, it’s a curiosity listen and not much else.

Release Date: December 1, 2010
Label: Stormspell Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Doom Herald
2.  Power Monger
3.  Golden Idol
4.  Midnight Wraith
5.  Broken Oath

Total playing time:  22:01

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*Comments:

Reviewer: Peter

March 16, 2011