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An Interview with Darkest Era

With the current recession going on and constant shifts taking place in the Metal World, it makes one wonder about the fate of fresh young bands popping up on the radar. What do they think about the future for themselves in music? How concerned are they for the chance to follow their dreams? Even if they get signed, what’s next for them?

Thankfully, I was put in touch with someone who could help answer those questions and give me a better idea of the situation.

 

Enter Ade Mulgrew, guitarist from one of Ireland’s freshly signed exports, Darkest Era.

Skyforger – ‘Kurbads’, Metal Blade; 2010

Seven years since their last LP ‘Thunderforge‘, Latvian folk metallers Skyforger return to the scene with new album ‘Kurbads‘; which not only sees a brief departure from their historical-based fare but a slight change towards a thrashier direction through their black metal-infused sound.

The likelihood is rather strong at this point

You bought the dish brush, now watch the show!

 

Dalriada – ‘ĺgéret’, AFM Records; 2011

 

Much as it does feel disconcerting to see that they’ve adopted a warrior- based image this time around like much of the status quo, it seems safe to say that this has little to no impact on how Dalriada have approached their sound on newest offering ‘ĺgéret‘. Unlike most other names in the folk metal circuit, the band seem to be amoung the relative few who know what folk music is and how to make it run with their metal; rather than shove it in as a novelty tune now and then.

Darkest Era – ‘The Last Caress of Light’, Metal Blade; 2011

It feels tempting to string up comparisons to the current crop of neo-traditional metal of late with this album; yet at the same time it would be unfair to Irish newcomers Darkest Era. Not only do they stand out from the rest of the crowd, but they also deliver a consistent passion and aura of epic fables on debut release ‘The Last Caress of Light‘.

Not Another Black Metal Joke™

Here’s a mini comic I did, using a friend’s character from her comic Coffee And Moonshine!

Lifelover – ‘Sjukdom’, Prophecy Productions; 2011

Most familiar with depressive rockers Lifelover know that they’re not a particularly easy band to get into: a musical paradox of truly unsettling, bleak hysteria and bouncy, melodic post punk-slash-pop rock; the key difference between them and other bands lodged into the DSBM (depressive suicidal black metal) scene is their ability to perfectly straddle the balance needed to pull off both sides of the aforementioned formula to create a delightfully manic sound all their own.

Yet with new effort ‘Sjukdom‘, it feels like they’re somehow lost some of that grip and are riding along in a much different way.

Dornenreich – ‘Flammentriebe’, Prophecy Productions; 2011

 

With even the cover art being so different from their previous albums for its use of deep colours and contrasts between fire and water (a fitting metaphor for the record itself), Dornenreich seem to be pulling all the stops for this “final” album. Even if it’s a supposed farewell to the metal genre that they started with; rather than their band career.

Blutmond – ‘Thirteen Urban Ways 4 Groovy Bohemian Days’, Code666/Aural Music; 2010

Reinventing your sound and musical outlook at a relatively early point in your career can lead to a make or break situation, yet for Swiss post-black metallers Blutmond this seems to mostly be the former.