Hmmm... this is considerably different from the last Nicodemus record. Not only is there an actual lineup now (the last record was a one-man effort), but the style has shifted from an atmospheric black metal direction to more of a progressive metal sort of twist. The vocals range from sick low growls to midrange screams and some singing, and there's a heavy keyboard presence that retains the atmospheric elements, but the riffing is rooted more in traditional metal than anything else (granted "Shards of a Bitter Night Wept" is faster and rawer than any of the other tracks and definitely has that bitter black metal attack). A couple of the faster moments have a black metal vibe, but the solos are straight metal, and a lot of the harmonies are straight out of the Iron Maiden handbook. There are some female vocals as well, and they're very well done. I actually like the singing vocals better than the aggressive vocals in most instances. "Harlot" is particularly nice, focusing on female singing and piano/synths for a nice, calm composition. This is some pretty good songwriting (aside from a few musical decisions that clash with my personal tastes), it's just held back by the recording. There's just something raw about the production that doesn't do this work justice. I don't particularly mind the slight rigidity of the drums because they're mixed back in the distance, but the rest of the mix is a little off, as are some of the tones. The synths sound superb but are mixed too loud and dominate the guitars in many cases, the bass is very hard to hear and leaves some gaps amongst the instrumentation, and the guitar tone just seems held back a bit in both volume and texture. I would turn up the guitars and possibly add more distortion, then up the bass and try to add a bit more brightness to everything but the percussion and synths (which are fine in that regard). Mainly because the aesthetics of this band are the antithesis of what I'm interested in, I couldn't care less about the visuals or the lyrics. The imagery on the front cover is actually well done for its style, but the band photo of everyone dressed up and posing like they're getting ready to go to a renaissance fair or some goofy shit is just too much for me to take. The rest of the booklet is just crammed full of bland fonts and repetitive background imagery. Lyrics? "Then through her romantic sorrow rush a will of steel relent, To a vision held of a perfect coil and heart downtrodden... and between the words I last of the gorgeous wind I ask a moment's cry on the grieving shoulder of a grieving past..." Ehhh, no thanks. I do think they have solid songwriting to offer, and I love the solos and vocal harmonies, but I truly want to hear a fuller sound with less of a focus on the aggressive vocals and more of a central emphasis on the progressive metal elements (see "The Lazarus Syndrome"), because that stylistic growth has been incredibly promising. The songs are a bit tedious in length so I can't get into this material as much as I probably would if things were a bit more succinct or perhaps tastefully straightforward, but... there's still a ton of promise yet to be tapped here.
[Dark Symphonies]
Running time - 58:36, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Harlot, The Lazarus Syndrome]
Dark Symphonies - http://www.darksymphonies.com
