The Duskfall - Source
Black Lotus Records - BLR/CD060 - 2003
By Philip Whitehouse
Picture the unholy offspring of In Flames and a Dobermann Pinscher, or perhaps a scrap between Dark Tranquillity and At The Gates in which the former band's keyboard player ends up in a coma. Yep, you guessed it, The Duskfall are a Swedish band mixing up aggressive melodic death metal with modern thrash to impressive effect, and this is their second release. Previous album Frailty was a critically well-received debut, but since the band contains a couple of ex members of Gates Of Ishtar, that should come as little surprise.
So, credentials proved and dues paid, what is their second effort as The Duskfall like? Well, to be honest it's been a long time since I heard a melodeath record that sounds quite this intense and vital - the band play throughout like their lives depend on it, rather than just going through the motions and wimping out like so many of the upper tier melodeath bands these days. Kai Jaakkola's vocals tear from the speakers like the raging protests of a trapped demon, while top-drawer riffs strip the paint from the walls. The drumming is alternately chaotically rapid and militaristically precise, and the bass growls like a rabid hound - most of this thanks to Daniel Bergstrand's tried-and-tested production formula.
There are some truly memorable moments on this record - for instance, the riffing from 3:05 to around 3:45 in 'The Grand Scheme' is worthy of mention alone for it's Soilwork-on-crystal-meth savagery, and the lead break in 'Not A Good Sign' is both complementary to the riff and impressively restrained. At times, of course, it can sound like your basic cookie-cutter melodeath record, but for the most part this is an absolutely top-notch example of the genre.
8.5/10
The Duskfall Official Website
Black Lotus Records Website
Black Lotus Records - BLR/CD060 - 2003
By Philip Whitehouse
Picture the unholy offspring of In Flames and a Dobermann Pinscher, or perhaps a scrap between Dark Tranquillity and At The Gates in which the former band's keyboard player ends up in a coma. Yep, you guessed it, The Duskfall are a Swedish band mixing up aggressive melodic death metal with modern thrash to impressive effect, and this is their second release. Previous album Frailty was a critically well-received debut, but since the band contains a couple of ex members of Gates Of Ishtar, that should come as little surprise.
So, credentials proved and dues paid, what is their second effort as The Duskfall like? Well, to be honest it's been a long time since I heard a melodeath record that sounds quite this intense and vital - the band play throughout like their lives depend on it, rather than just going through the motions and wimping out like so many of the upper tier melodeath bands these days. Kai Jaakkola's vocals tear from the speakers like the raging protests of a trapped demon, while top-drawer riffs strip the paint from the walls. The drumming is alternately chaotically rapid and militaristically precise, and the bass growls like a rabid hound - most of this thanks to Daniel Bergstrand's tried-and-tested production formula.
There are some truly memorable moments on this record - for instance, the riffing from 3:05 to around 3:45 in 'The Grand Scheme' is worthy of mention alone for it's Soilwork-on-crystal-meth savagery, and the lead break in 'Not A Good Sign' is both complementary to the riff and impressively restrained. At times, of course, it can sound like your basic cookie-cutter melodeath record, but for the most part this is an absolutely top-notch example of the genre.
8.5/10
The Duskfall Official Website
Black Lotus Records Website
