Torn from Existence - Hearken the Darkened Skies (2024)

Perfectly capturing that old-school magic of late 90’s Symphonic Black/Death Metal bands, Colorado’s Torn from Existence drop their high-octane debut full-length release “Hearken the Darkened Skies”. Featuring seven tracks and over 32 minutes of highly engaging and dynamic music, this release is highly recommended for fans of early Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Vesperian Sorrow, and Tartaros, just to name a few.

Opening with the pummeling “Crawl From The Crypt”, we immediately hear the band’s DNA with lavish keyboards, hellish screams, and a wide assortment of engaging guitar riffs and even some shredding thrown into the mix. This wide palette of influences is very well mixed together, crafting a very dynamic and engaging sound that also features some theatrical influences as “Of Curse, And Covenant” and “Sorcery Against Mankind” deliver playful tempo changes and lush atmospheric arrangements.

Our favorite track has to be the magical “Scream No More”, with its crafty Charmand Grimloch-esque keyboards, giving us some “The Grand Psychotic Castle” vibes. With all tracks perfectly balancing atmosphere with aggression, there are tons of masterful guitar passages that keep things fresh and engaging, like on the dramatic “Waves of Chaos” or our second favorite track “Damned By Ominous Fate”, and its playful use of female vocals. Every song has epic moments that will take you back in time, so make sure to pay attention at all times.

As a whole, “Hearken the Darkened Skies” is a very well crafted release that while featuring tons of retro influences, it also has a nice fresh and modern edge to it. The production is very solid, making every element easy to identify and digest, especially during those repeat listens. If you like bombastic and dynamic Symphonic Death/Black Metal, give these guys a listen as they are definitely one of the best bands in this genre to come out of North America.

Label: Self-Released

Release: October 4th, 2024

Genre: Symphonic Black/Death Metal

Country: USA