Artist: Darkness Remains
Label: Tribunal Records
Release Date: 2/19/02
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Title: To Touch the Depths of Sorrow Artist: Darkness Remains Label: Tribunal Records Release Date: 2/19/02 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
Darkness who? That was my first reaction when I was given this assignment. I had never even heard of this band out of West Virginia (ever wonder why that state didn't call themselves East Kentucky? Or maybe South West Pennsylvania? I think they're just Virginia sycophants). Anyway, I'm so inundated with music from Metal Judgment that I rarely get to listen to anything all that new to me, so I was pretty psyched to put a disc in my player that I had no pre-conceived notions about.
"This kind of diversity is Darkness Remains' best asset."
According to the promotional material from Tribunal Records, this is a very young band (with half its members still in their teens), and I got the impression that this is also their debut. If that is the case then this is a very impressive album indeed. To Touch the Depths of Sorrow is all over the metal spectrum, incorporating death, black and thrash to come up with a unique sound that no real genre title will stick to. This album is very raw in its production, and at this point I can't tell if that's done on purpose or due to monetary restraints. I also can't really tell if a better production job would make this album better or worse. Upon my first few listens I thought it was a little too raw, sounding like a four track recording from some kid's garage. But as I got more and more acquainted with the material, I found myself appreciating its straightforward, no excuses message of dark art. I can see the influence of some great bands on this disc, from the arpeggios in "Darkness Remains" that could have come from Carcass' Heartwork, to the beginning riff of "A Grave Too Shallow" which would feel right at home on Six Feet Under's Warpath. This kind of diversity is Darkness Remains' best asset. They weave between technicality and simplicity, between melody and brutality, and they do it all with conviction.
"These guys can seem green at times." That's not to say that this album is perfect by any stretch of the imagination. These guys can seem green at times. The arrangements don't always flow, and every once in a while the music feels forced, but I have a feeling that further experience will take care of these minute problems. The bottom line is this is a talented band with unlimited potential, and they're off to one hell of a start. One word review: Awesome.
Death's Review:
Ever heard of Darkness Remains? I hadn't, until To Touch the Depths of Sorrow was presented to me for Judgment Committee review. I've since learned that these young (3/5th of the band are teenagers) death metallers come from the relatively obscure metal breeding ground of West Virginia. If this album is any indication, Darkness Remains will not remain obscure for long. Sure, their moniker is a bit cliched for this sound and thus the name in itself is far from memorable (ask yourself tomorrow-- without looking back at this page-- whether or not you remember the name of the band you are now reading about), but once you hear the music, you absolutely have to stand up and take notice. If this is just the beginning for Darkness Remains, then I fully expect them to be one of the leaders of the metal scene in due course.
So what do they sound like? They sound a lot like the progressive Florida death metal sound, I suppose, particularly the band Death from the Human, Symbolic and Sound of Perseverance eras. But you see-- to me-- sounding like that is good! No, these guys don't score major points for originality, but there have been very few bands that have ever come along that could evoke the almighty Death and hold up so well on the comparison. There is accomplished musicianship on display here, presented within interesting riffs and melodic structures. These songs are intricate, and they are peppered with enough Metallica/Megadeth thrashiness, old Iron Maiden dual-guitar and modern extreme metal elements to add a bit of the band's own flair to the overall results. Darkness Remains kick ass, and if they aren't the absolutely most advanced act I've heard, they certainly are the most advanced bunch of teenagers from West Virginia I'm currently aware of!
"I fully expect them to be one of the leaders of the metal scene in due course."
Seriously, there are a few flaws, as is to be expected. The band isn't always as absolutely, spot-on tight as music this technical clearly needs to be, and the production is not exactly what you'd call "high budget"-- the fact that this material is of such a nature and quality that it demands excellence in both of these departments of course only highlights these issues. Darkness Remains should rehearse a lot and play together a lot and tour a lot and then get someone to spend a lot of money recording their next record. The results would surely be astounding. Until then, their heart and the talent are already on display on To Touch the Depths of Sorrow. Definitely worth checking out.
"Definitely worth checking out."
Hel's Review:
Darkness Remains is the top contender this year to be my number 1 "band-I'd-never-heard-of". The professional-looking cover of this record caught my eye as I was sifting through the sea of CDs in the Metal Judgment submission pile. A simple package, but well put together, I put it into the player out of curiosity. I had just done this with a couple of random others, and the previous results had been, well, ugly. But I was instantly taken with To Touch the Depths of Sorrow.
This music is prog-death, there can be no other way to describe it. The accompanying press release compares them to Death not once, but twice. Dangerous territory on which to tread, if it proves not to be true, but the young men (the press release also helpfully points out that, "3/5 of the members of DR are still in their teens.") in Darkness Remains have certainly knelt at the altar of Chuck and learned from his teachings. A fun listen from beginning to end, there is enough imagination and creativity in the songwriting to keep my interest from waning, and that's often a feat.
"I was instantly taken with To Touch the Depths of Sorrow."
The recording is raw and uneven, as is the performance, and this is the true weakness of the record. The guitars are clear and mixed high, but the bass line is so low in the mix as to be non-existent throughout entire passages of songs. The vocals are buried and muddy. And at times the drummer seems to get bogged down in the complexity of his own beat. The small flaws become more apparent as you dig for them, of course. But considering the intricacy of the songs, it is amazing that they accomplished what they did in a mere five recording sessions. On the whole, this is a talented band and a compelling record.
"On the whole, this is a talented band and a compelling record." At a certain point, it begins to seem like all bands have become homogenized, and it becomes more and more of a challenge to find distinction between records within sub-genres. Death metal has been one of the hardest hit by an influx of excellent but generic-sounding bands, and it is refreshing to find an undeniably death metal band mixing it up the way these guys do. Sure, the cynic can find fault with this band, as with any other. Today, I'm making the uncharacteristic choice: the optimistic viewpoint. I enjoyed this record, and I'm willing to bet most death metal fans will too.
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