Darkhaus – My Only Shelter (2013)

With tons of unusual (read: non-Metal) stuff making it to our Infernal Masquerade review queue lists, we bumped into Darkhaus and their uber catchy debut release “My Only Shelter”. Playing a very mellow and yet well-constructed Synth-Rock/Pop with some Gothic Rock/Electro influences we were quite shocked to learn that PRO-PAIN members: Gary Meskil and Marshall Stephens are even part of such a different band. Letting the band members credentials aside, this is one very interesting release that covers a wide variety of sounds and will have you fully enjoying it in a matter of minutes.

Opening on a very high note with “Life Worth Living”, we get a very well structured track that is designed to be catchy and never leave your head… for a few days. Vocalist Kenny Hanlon has a very distinctive style and a perfect signature for the band to be recognized in the future. The music varies from Synth-Rock/Pop structures to Gothic Rock and some Dark Wave / Electro elements thrown into the mix. Tracks like “Ghost” a very good example of said mixture of elements.

There are also very diverse songs like “Our Time”, an excellent track that combines tons of Electro/Synth elements with vocal effects and catchy beats. While we like the wide variety of influences and the band’s ambition to experiment, we are more drawn to straight-up catchy tracks like “Breaking The Silence”, that remind us of a livelier version of Lacrimas Profundere.

With over 15 tracks, this release has tons of great and very catchy songs like “Drive”, “Apostle”, “Hurst Like Hell”, just to name a few. The guitar work is one the nicely contrasting elements that adds power and aggression to some of the softer aspects of the music, creating a very symbiotic relationship between elements.

In general, “My Only Shelter” is one of those releases that will catch you off-guard if you are expecting anything remotely close to PRO-PAIN, but will hook you into their sound after the first song. Darkhaus has a very dynamic and diverse sound that is very well exploited to produce very emotional and catchy tracks. If you like bands like HIM, Lacrimas Profundere, and similar acts, look no further and get yourself a copy of this album.

Label: Steamhammer/Oblivion (SPV)

Release: December 3rd, (North America)

Genre: Synth-Rock / Gothic Rock

Country: International