Darkwell – Moloch (2016)

As one of the most unexpected returns of 2016, today we have Gothic Metal band Darkwell with their third full-length release “Moloch”. With a separation of 12 years between releases, the band comes back to life with an exciting release in the vein of their debut “Suspiria”. Combining elements from Gothic Metal bands from the late 90’s like Dreams of Sanity and Trail of Tears, this release presents us with eleven tracks filled with heavy riffs and lush atmospheric elements.

Opening with the album title track, the band quickly sets the mood with catchy riffs and tight drums. Alexandra Pittracher returns on vocals and her signature style instantly brings back memories of the band’s debut release and our favorite track in that album “Realm of Darkness”. While the music structure has remained very similar, the keyboards, courtesy of Raphael Lepuschitz, feel more dynamic and edgier with some electronic elements to be found as you can notice on songs like “In Nomine Serpentis”, “Save My Sight” and “Yoshiwara”.

The band’s mastermind, Roland Wurzer, handless the bass guitar duties very efficiently, crafting catchy and engaging songs like “Fall of Ishtar” and “Bow Down”. Mixing more unconventional element like Groove Metal into their Gothic style allows the band to craft fresh sounding tracks like the superbly catchy “Clandestine”. For us, fans of the more conservative and traditional things, tracks like “Loss of Reason” and the superb “Golem” bring back the old Darkwell with a simple modern twist.

Closing this release with “Awakening”, the band has successfully entered back into the scene with a solid release. While their style is very similar to their original early 2000’s sound, the band has managed to refresh it by adding different styles of music into their core. Perfectly led by Alexandra’s vocals, “Moloch” will surely satisfy old nostalgic fans of the band as well as gather them new fans for the future.

Label: Massacre Records

Release: September 23rd, 2016

Genre: Gothic Metal

Country: Austria