Tag Archives: daniel

Album Review – Dark Horizon / Darkness Falls Upon Mankind (2024)

Posted on by
1

As darkness falls upon mankind, this devilish horde from Germany attacks with their sophomore album, exhaling their obsession for mid-90’s Scandinavian and German Black Metal.

Spreading the dark arts all over the world since their inception in 2007 in Kassel, a city in central Germany, the heavy-as-hell Melodic Black Metal horde Dark Horizon has finally unleashed upon us their sophomore black mass, entitled Darkness Falls Upon Mankind, the follow-up to their 2012 debut Diabolic Agreement and their 2017 EP Odyssey. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Andy Classen at Stage One Studio, the new album by Mike on vocals, Adrian on the guitars, Colin on bass, and Daniel on drums exhales their obsession for mid-90’s Scandinavian and German Black Metal, uniting melancholy and disharmony with their passion for absolute darkness, being therefore recommended for admirers of the music by Dark Funeral, Naglfar, Dissection, and Watain, just to name a few.

Secrets Of The Nightmare Prophecies already sounds utterly sharp and melodic, with Mike leading his horde with his demonic screams and gnarls, resulting in a beyond solid start to the album and morphing into the bestial title-track Darkness Falls Upon Mankind, where the song’s blast beats and razor-edged riffs turn it into a must-listen for admirers of 90’s Black Metal. Adrian continues to deliver fire and evil from his axe in The Awakening, a song perfect for some devilish headbanging while Daniel’s drums will decimate your cranial skull. Old Gods offers more of the band’s undisputed Melodic Black Metal, again showcasing the hellish roars by Mike while Colin adds his share of heaviness to the sound with his menacing bass, whereas Tempest Of Ancient Screams is an imposing, heavy-as-hell and absolutely dark composition that lives up to the legacy of the genre, with Adrian doing a superb job with his old school Black Metal riffs.

And Adrian’s strident, visceral riffs continue to darken the skies in In The Hall Of Bloodstreams, where Mike takes his demonic gnarls to a whole new level of obscurity; then get ready for a seven-minute onrush of sulfur and evil titled Am Tag Meines Todes (which is German for “on the day of my death”), bringing to our ears an overdose of caustic riffs and blast beats while Colin hammers his bass mercilessly, with all breaks and variations making it feel like two amazing songs in one. After that we have Funeral, offering us all three minutes of straight-to-the-point Black Metal with no shenanigans nor any artificial elements, followed by Ekpyrosis, another seven-minute song but this time sounding a bit confusing compared to the rest of the album, albeit still showcasing the band’s passion for darkness and evil. And closing the album we’re treated to two very special covers showcasing their influences in music, starting with Naglfar’s The Brimstone Gate (check the original version HERE, from their 1998 cult album Diabolical), and followed by Mithotyn’s King Of The Distant Forest (check the original version HERE, from their 1998 opus King of the Distant Forest), both exhaling the same Black Metal essence from the original versions but of course with Dark Horizon’s own twist.

The guys from Dark Horizon are waiting for you on Facebook, on Instagram and on YouTube with news, tour dates, and more of their caustic Black Metal, and you can obviously add the excellent Darkness Falls Upon Mankind to your devilish collection by purchasing it from their own BandCamp page, as well as from Apple Music or Amazon Music. As darkness falls upon mankind, Dark Horizon will strike us hard with their furious new album, adding another solid stone to the impenetrable Black Metal castle that exists in their homeland, therefore fueling them for more in the coming years for the delight of fans of 90’s Black Metal.

Best moments of the album: Darkness Falls Upon Mankind, Tempest Of Ancient Screams and Am Tag Meines Todes.

Worst moments of the album: Ekpyrosis.

Released in 2024 Independent

Track listing
1. Secrets Of The Nightmare Prophecies 4:25
2. Darkness Falls Upon Mankind 5:23
3. The Awakening 3:21
4. Old Gods 4:53
5. Tempest Of Ancient Screams 3:45
6. In The Hall Of Bloodstreams 3:17
7. Am Tag Meines Todes 7:13
8. Funeral 3:15
9. Ekpyrosis 7:40
10. The Brimstone Gate (Naglfar cover) 4:54
11. King Of The Distant Forest (Mithotyn cover) 5:26

Band members
Mike – vocals
Adrian – guitars
Colin – bass
Daniel – drums

Album Review – Spiral Skies / Blues For A Dying Planet (2018)

Posted on by
1

Get ready to be put in a trance and to be taken on a unique musical journey by a psychedelic Swedish band and their “rock from another planet”.

With influences ranging over decades, Swedish Occult Rock band Spiral Skies has created a sound that can most easily be described as “rock from another planet”, a unique blend of folk, doom and 70’s-inspired rock music the likes of Jefferson Airplane, Curved Air and The Devil’s Blood, all embraced by a unique visual performance at their intense and enchanting live shows. After their debut EP A Queendom to Come, released in 2015, it’s time for Spiral Skies to further spread their sorcery with their brand new album beautifully titled Blues For A Dying Planet, an ode to the past that’s at the same time always looking into the future.

Formed in 2014 in the Swedish capital Stockholm, Spiral Skies are the talented Frida on vocals, Jonas and Dan on the guitars, Eric on bass and Daniel on drums, each one with a different musical background and distinct influences, but all sharing the same passion for 70´s genuine rock and metal music. In Blues For A Dying Planet, which features a classy cover illustration by Vadim Karasyov, cover and booklet design by Atmanoid, and cover photo by Björn Pettersson, the band brings forth an amalgamation of styles with a strong Psychedelic Doom Metal and Rock core essence, putting you in a trance and taking you to the golden years of rock, always spearheaded by the mesmerizing vocals by Frida.

An organ and the sound of the wind in the intro Black Hole Waltz ignite the feast of Rock N’ Roll and Heavy Metal named Awakening, with Jonas and Dan dictating the rhythm with their Iron Madein-ish riffs while Frida gives a lesson in passion and energy with her flamboyant vocals. Put differently, this rockin’ hymn has an old school Heavy Metal vibe that, when blended with its core Doom Metal essence, makes things even more captivating. Following such powerful start we have Dark Side of the Cross, a very good song to dance under the stars that leans towards the classic Doom Metal by Black Sabbath with a more whimsical Rock N’ Roll aura, also showcasing a great job done by Daniel with his intricate beats; and The Wizard’s Ball, where Frida keeps delivering sheer awesomeness through her charming and potent vocals, with the rest of the band keeping the music at a very pleasant and gripping pace, flowing smoothly until its climatic ending. Then it’s time to dance with Frida and the boys in Danse Macabre, a classic Hard Rock song with tons of psychedelic elements from Doom Metal added to its beautiful sonority, with Jonas and Dan blasting straightforward, old school guitar riffs that effectively help embellish the ambience.

Labyrinth of the Mind is perhaps the most Black Sabbath of all tracks, with a great balance between the heaviness of the guitar riffs and the gentle voice by Frida, resulting in a hypnotizing musicality perfect for closing your eyes and letting the band take you on a one-of-a-kind musical journey. In Shattered Hopes we’re treated to a hybrid between pure Psychedelic Rock and more contemporary Doom Metal and Hard Rock, uniting past and present through the riffs by the band’s guitar duo and the always fiery vocals by Frida; whereas the poetically-titled tune Left Is Right and Right Is Left Behind has its name translated into classic Rock N’ Roll with tons of psychedelia added to its mesmerizing waves. Furthermore, Eric with his solid bass lines and Daniel with his fierce beats create the perfect background for Frida to shine once again on vocals. And lastly, their feast of classy and gripping sounds is majestically concluded with the lesson in Psychedelic Rock and Metal named The Prisoner, a full-bodied voyage led by the heavy and very melodic guitars by both Jonas and Dan.

The enchanting voice by Frida and her Spiral Skies can be better appreciated through the band’s Facebook page and Spotify, and if you want to buy a copy of Blues For A Dying Planet and consequently have all that’s needed to prance around the fire pit under a moonlit sky, you can find the album on sale at the AOP Records’ BandCamp page or webstore, at the Nuclear Blast webstore, on iTunes or on Amazon. Although the 70’s might be long gone and everything is now just a distant memory, the music by bands like Spiral Skies is what keeps the spirit and passion of that golden decade burning bright inside our souls.

Best moments of the album: Awakening, Danse Macabre and The Prisoner.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2018 AOP Records

Track listing
1. Black Hole Waltz 1:25
2. Awakening 3:31
3. Dark Side of the Cross 4:04
4. The Wizard’s Ball 5:36
5. Danse Macabre 4:18
6. Labyrinth of the Mind 5:42
7. Shattered Hopes 3:18
8. Left Is Right and Right Is Left Behind 4:38
9. The Prisoner 6:02

Band members
Frida – vocals
Jonas – guitars
Dan – guitars
Eric – bass
Daniel – drums