METAL MONDAY: REVIEW OF DARK EMPIRE'S HUMANITY DETHRONED

posted in: Rock

Dark Empire, a Jersey band signed to Killzone Records, recently won July’s Metal contest here on OurStage. Humanity Dethroned is the follow-up to Dark Empire’s very solid debut release, Distant Tides. For those who have yet to listen to Dark Empire, their sound is right in line with bands like Symphony X and Blind Guardian (Jens Carlsson, the lead vocalist, bears a striking vocal resemblance to Hansi Kürsch). Simply put, the band boasts a heavy, thrashy, power-filled sound that refuses to simply plod along.

When asked to pick my favorite part of the album, it is undeniably Jens Carlsson’s voice. With every line, Jens sends chills down your spine with his sinister vocals. Unlike many heavy/power singers, Jens always keeps the listener’s attention, and never ceases to be interesting. Of course, what helps Jens’ vocals stay interesting is the mixing of the record, and the presence of the rest of the band. Though the vocals are the best part, the album does not ride on them ”another folly that many heavy/power metal bands commit.

While the vocals stand out, making them the focus would sell Humanity Dethroned short. The second best part of this album is the songwriting. Unlike many power metal bands, Dark Empire does not write songs that follow a standard song structure (ie. intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-chorus-outro). All of the songs on the album have a familiar-feeling structure, but they are not predictable or stale”a difficult feat to achieve. Matt Moliti deserves the credit here, as all of the music and lyrics on the album is attributed to him. And speaking of Moliti, it is also worth mentioning the guitar riffs on the album. Before listening to the entire album, and having only heard  “Possessed (We Are One),” I was curious how the band claimed they were “progressive thrash metal.” Upon hearing the guitar work on Humanity Dethroned, it is safe to say that Dark Empire can be associated with a large variety of metal sub genres”heavy/power/thrash metal being the most obvious. The sixth track on the album, “Salvation Denied,” is almost exclusively a thrash metal song, while others on the album (like the previously mentioned “Possessed (We Are One)”) are clearly heavy power metal songs. This mix of sub sub genres means Matt Moliti varies his styles of guitar playing throughout the album.

With few weak spots to critique, the only noticeable area for improvement lies in the mixing department. There is just too much sound everywhere, and it takes away from each of the individual pieces. A better mix that actually allows the listener to hear each individual piece with enhanced panning would help the album immensely. Aside from this, the album is stellar and worthy of a listen by all heavy music lovers (it really can appeal to just about everyone).

Overall score: 9/10

As an aside, the band recently parted ways with their vocalist and drummer, and are now seeking to replace these members. Are you a metaller in the New Jersey area? If so, give them a shout!