DARKBLACK – Midnight Wraith

A dark, weird shape had arisen it’s head from the depths of the barren fields – it might be the Midnight Wraith that was brought forward to strike on the land! From the looks and sounds of this coming release, the American based DarkBlack might have fooled you. The reason might be tangled with their musical direction… early NWOBHM followed by a cool mixing of 70s Hard Rock and early Speed Metal, will send you back traveling to the elementary traces of Metal made in the UK. Forged in 2004 in the, DarkBlack are one of the many faces of Traditional Metal nowadays. Their new release, Midnight Wraith, is a continuing effort to keep Metal in a vintage and desolate state, while having a crack at being artistic as they can be. With a fair production that fit their needs, Midnight Wraith is a pleasing outcome of stimulating Metal.

The music’s layout turns to the epic side of vintage Heavy Metal. The well known melodies and harmonies of NWOBHM coexist nicely with the ample speedy parts, and sit well with the nice, high rolling vocal lines of the band’s bass man, Tim Smith. Although DarkBlack didn’t quite hit on every single track on this EP, their music is quite motivating and challenging. You can easily say that you heard it all before, however, the usage and performance of accurate low-gained guitars, especially on the solo sections played by Anthony Crocamo just as they did in the old Metal days in Britain, mystifies with a breed of alchemy that is pretty rare on epic Metal releases in the present era of Metal. To put music into words, take a shot at “Power Monger”, “Doom Herald” and “Broken Oath”. On the whole, the music on offer might be lucid at the beginning, yet, as the EP keeps on spinning, you will eventually notice the simplistic essence of DarkBlack’s spirit enhanced by the blackish aura becomes somewhat hooking.

Midnight Wraith, as mentioned earlier, is not something new — its kind filled the UK in the late 70s and early 80s. Nevertheless, you can’t discount their intentions. Be sure to follow these guys if you want to discover more of their essentials.

Tracklist

1. Doom Herald
2. Power Monger
3. Golden Idol
4. Midnight Wraith
5. Broken Oath

Lineup

Tim Smith – vocals, bass guitar
Anthony Crocamo – lead and rhythm guitars
Rob McConlogue – guitars
Eben Travis – drums