Swedish thrash metal ensemble Darkane are a band with a long history. Back when they started, they were seen as one of the most talented bands in Sweden, poised for greatness. For some reason, they never really broke through, despite a catalogue of high-quality releases like Rusted Angel (1999), Expanding Senses (2002) and Layers Of Lies (2005). Let’s see whether their fortunes will be reversed with The Sinister Supremacy, the latest Darkane album.
The Sinister Supremacy brings yet another change in the vocal department. This time around, Lawrence Mackrory is back with a vengeance. Yes, the same guy who did the vocals on Rusted Angel, the album that got Darkane noticed in the first place. Musically, it’s pretty much business as usual. The band are perfectly comfortable in the niche they created for themselves and that shows on this album. It’s pretty much a continuation of what they’ve done since Layers Of Lies and Demonic Art; namely delivering a high-octane hybrid between melodic death metal and thrash metal with a slightly progressive undercurrent.
That doesn’t mean The Sinister Supremacy is a carbon copy of previous albums. The band is clearly on fire on tracks like ‘Mechanically Divine’, ‘Ostracized’ and the title track. These fast-paced scorchers work in perfect harmony with more mid-paced songs, like ‘The Decline’ and ‘Collapse Of Illusions’. Darkane are simply masters at the utilisation of dynamics and musical contrasts. This gives The Sinister Supremacy a sense of maturity only a few other bands can master. Darkane’s collective musical muscle is still virtually unparalleled, but they use their musical skills to cement their songs, rather than to indulge themselves in senseless guitar duels (for instance), as many of their more progressive brethren tend to do.
Listening to The Sinister Supremacy is like meeting an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time; despite the long absence you instantly reconnect and go on like nothing else has changed. The new Darkane album may not offer much in terms of new ideas or fresh musical angles, but only a select few bands can deliver this sort of music in such a lethal and energetic way as these Swedes do. A job well done!
8/10
Raymond Westland