Artist: Dark Age
Title: Acedia
Type: CD
Label: AFM Records

When bands like In Flames, Soilwork, and Machine Head are as popular as they are in the UK and US, it’s always mind boggling to understand how a band such as the fifteen year veteran Germans Dark Age are not a more common name on the t-shirts, hoodies, and lips of the two countries metal head populations. Maybe they just never got that push they needed or maybe they just don’t deserve to hang with the big boys? Well if this new offering is anything to go by I’d say it must come down to marketing. The band’s new record showcases a rather tasty blend of Brutal/Melodic Death Metal filtered through a Post-Thrash mesh to create a rather astounding album.

‘Kingdom Nevercome’ is a slice of In Flames style Melodic Death, with a great intro, catchy guitar hooks, and electronic embellishments complimenting the roughness of the Death vocals and the melodic chorus in turn. ‘Devote Yourself To Nothing’ is a straighter metal affair that recalls Symbol of Life era Paradise Lost with added testosterone courtesy of Eike’s Death vocals. ‘Neon Gardens’ puts me in mind of Dark Tranquility meets Lacrimas Profundre, a definite nod to progressive if still commercial thinking that makes for interesting listening. ‘Snake of June’ is another one that peaks your interest with a sound that draws form Katatonia and I’d even dare to venture Pain (and maybe a few other Peter Tägtgren projects) as well. ‘Zeitgeist (Ghost In A Machine)’ is a fantastic track that takes it’s initial cue from Fear Factory but then heads off in a whole new direction courtesy of their Melodic Death Metal roots. ‘10 Steps To Nausea’ is a more frantic Thrash Metal based track that has a definite sing-a-long quality, that shows the range of the band effectively. ‘Halo Meridian’ is a great riff led track that switches tempo into a supercharged Melodic Death head banging, horns raised piece for the masses. ‘Underneath These Burdens’ feels very much like an In Flames influenced track, again easily creating a catchy commercial track while still having that glaringly obvious infatuation with Death Metal and Progressive bands. ‘All The Unfulfilled’ is another great riff led track that has a stronger Brutal Death influence with a hint of Opeth that undercuts the use of clean vocals effectively. ‘Babylon Riots’, again takes it’s cues from Peter Tägtgren for the most part but more fascinating is how un-repetitive the album has been up to this point with this being the first track that repeats a couple of tricks previously used on the albums first couple of tracks. ‘Myself Heretic’ is a suitable closer for the album that could close any gig effectively leaving you wanting more.

It is a crime that Dark Age (says Sean trying not to gush) are not as well known as In Flames, Soilwork, Dark Tranquility and the rest of the Melodic Death Metal pantheon. Dark Age bring a hell of a lot to the table, and after fifteen years and five albums they have really sharpened themselves into a beast of a band. Hunt this one down, I promise it will be worth it.

http://www.Dark-Age.eu
http://www.myspace.com/darkage404

Sean M. Palfrey

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