At first I thought I was going to hate this because something about the music was rubbing me the wrong way. I think it was partly due to the programmed drums and partly due to the large presence of synths in the first little introductory track... but once the guitars and bass kicked in with the incredible female singing I was completely won over. There is some male singing as well, but it's fairly scarce by comparison (though equally awesome). Musically this sort of reminds me of Portal (post-Cynic) meets newer material from The Gathering (though based more around traditional instruments than electronics) and such, but it's slightly more somber and the use of acoustic guitars mixed with both clean and distorted electric guitars really creates some amazing musical textures. Excellent songwriting that's very soothing, very moving, and incredibly atmospheric also pays off big time. The songs tend to be fairly long (averaging five to six minutes) but everything is so lush and gorgeous that it flows without fail. The recording is excellent, just chock full of beautiful tones and a thick, lustrous mix. A fucking beautiful vocal sound... and after a couple of tracks the drum programming fits right in and sounds better than triggered live drums usually do. I might add a more distinct bass presence, but it's not a real problem or necessity, everything sounds exceptionally nice. The layout's okay. It's consistent as far as only using one font, and most of the imagery is that of statues' faces, with some faded textures and images of the band members next to the lyrics. I honestly don't like the lyrics at all, though. They're just typical, basic personal tales that deal with darkness, loss, etc. in what I feel is a very standard and rehashed manner. "Where is the beauty in rainbows? When everything I see is in black and white, With each of my words I kill yet another, Like pieces of stained glass, they are all different, yet still part of the same window..." But thankfully that's a non-issue, as the music is just so incredibly awesome that it more than makes for what I feel the lyrics are lacking. Absolutely recommended. This is great work.
[Dark Symphonies]
Running time - 57:16, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Nightlong, Recognition, The Tiny Drawer, Left Unsaid]
Dark Symphonies - http://www.darksymphonies.com
