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.

UMUR "The Sellsword" is the debut full-length studio album by US heavy/speed metal act DarkBlack. The album was released through Stormspell Records in September 2009. DarkBlack formed in 2004 in Pennsylvania, but later relocated to Oregon. They released "The Barbarian's Hammer" EP in 2005 and didn´t release anything else before releasing "The Sellsword". After releasing the 2010 "Midnight Wraith" EP they disbanded.

Stylistically the material featured on the 9 track, 41:39 minutes long album is traditional heavy metal with a few nods towards speed metal and power metal. It´s a retro sounding music style, and if the already organic and rough sounding production had been a little more raw and unpolished, "The Sellsword" could easily have been released sometime between 1982 and 1984. There´s nothing here which signals that this album was recorded in 2009.

DarkBlack are a well playing band, and they manage to create a huge sound with thundering drums, a rumbling bass, traditional heavy metal riffs, melodic lead guitar work, and a screaming lead vocalist in front. Unfortunately they´ve opted to place vocalist/singer Tim Smith too low in the mix, which has the consequence that the vocals are not nearly as powerful and commanding as they could have been. To my ears it´s a pretty bad production choice.

The music is well composed, well performed, and other than the issue with the vocals, also well produced. So it´s a good quality release it most departments. When that is said the tracks really aren´t that memorable beyond the album´s playing time, and that´s a minor issue too. The vocals sound like they are singing the same melody on all tracks, and there aren´t many hooks to be heard. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.