DARKBLACK — Midnight Wraith (review)

DARKBLACK — Midnight Wraith album cover EP · 2010 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
UMUR
"Midnight Wraith" is an EP release by US heavy/speed metal act DarkBlack. The EP was released through Stormspell Records in December 2010. It´s the successor to "The Sellsword" debut album from September 2009. DarkBlack formed in 2004 in Pennsylvania, but later relocated to Oregon. They released "The Barbarian's Hammer" EP in 2005 and the above mentioned debut full-length studio album "The Sellsword" in September 2009. After releasing "Midnight Wraith" DarkBlack disbanded.

Stylistically the material on "Midnight Wraith" is a continuation of the traditional heavy metal style featuring elements from speed metal and power metal, which DarkBlack also played on "The Sellsword". The quality of the songwriting is on the same level as on the previous release, which means it´s entertaining while it plays, but not particularly memorable beyond that, despite featuring many melodic leads and harmonies.

It´s the vocals which are pretty much sung in the same range and vocal style on all tracks, and when the melody lines aren´t that memorable, that part of the music isn´t a positive. The old school organic nature of the performances is otherwise very charming and authentic. The same can be said about the sound production. The drums are maybe a little more sharp and stand out in the mix, than they would have, if this had been recorded in the 80s, but other than that, this could well have been an 80s release. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.
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