Formed in 1998, this Swedish act has managed to produce 5 full-length CD's. 'Demonic Art' is their latest onslaught. The only other album I've heard from them is 'Rusted Angel' (1998). I'd have to conclude that 'Rusted Angel' is a better release. However, I do like this new album a lot. The meaning of "Darkane" is a comes from two words: "dark" and "arcane".

The bonus CD features 3 new tracks so the whole CD clocks in to be almost fifty-one minutes. It also has a DVD to it. Their current line-up is Jens Broman on vocals, Christofer Malmström on guitars, Klas Ideberg also on guitars, Jörgen Löfberg on bass and Peter Wildoer on drums. Darkane has gone through some line-up changes since they originally formed.

This act used to play primarily melodic death metal. Their current genres are melodic death metal mixed with thrash metal. These styles seem to fit the album well. On their official website, the band shows their influences. If you go to their page, you'll see who their musical preferences are.

For the intro, there is a melodic piece that segues into track two. The guitars altogether feature heavy galloping riffs which demonstrates the thrash influence. The chorus sections are more on the melodic side. The music is pretty catchy. Best to play the album on a high blasting stereo so that you don't miss out on any of the riffs. The vocals feature high end screams along with clean parts, particularly during the choruses. The time signatures are all over the place. There's even some blast beats. The guitar leads are well thought out. Some are slow and melodic while others completely shred.

In addition, the music features several riffs per song which demonstrate their newer style. Most songs are definitely a combination of melodic death and thrash as I previously stated. It's a definite unique blend of genres. The guitars are what stands out the most for me. Most of the songs are heavily distorted but there are clean tone bits as well.

In terms of the sound quality, 'Demonic Art' is well mixed. You can hear all of the instruments in unison. The playing overall shows how talented this band is. The reason why I say this is because Darkane is not only able to mix two genres together, they are also capable of coming up with completely new riffs that totally dominate.

The lyrical themes are about psychology, inner struggles, and life. I think that they are well thought out and not completely nonsensical. It shows how diverse this band is. There are no covers on the new release.

I think that all of the tracks here I pretty much like. This release is quite awesome. Not only is the mixing good, but the songs are very catchy. Check out the songs 'Leaving Existence', 'Execution 44' and 'Demigod' to come up with your own opinion!

Rating: 8 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Death8699
08/27/2009 19:26