Darkane – The Sinister Supremacy (2013)

Featuring the return of the band’s debut release vocalist, Lawrence Mackrory, today we have Darkane’s latest opus “The Sinister Supremacy”. Keeping the Swedish Death/Thrash Metal flame alive, this release is packed with a 14 massive tracks (on the digipack version), that will have you headbanging since the opening riff. With a scene filled with band shifting to the annoying (at times) core-like screams, it is quite refreshing to have manly vocals in this release.

After the dramatic orchestral opening, the album kicks off with the pummeling album title track. Darkane immediately shows off their power with powerful melodic guitars and very fitting vocals. The band took 5 years between releases but they still deliver very effective and engaging songs. We particularly like the catchy chorus sections and mixtures of clean and harsh vocals. Other tracks that have more elaborate opening sections like “The Decline” nicely keep the album fresh and change the flow of the release very effectively.

The guitar work on songs like “Humanity Defined” are definitely worth the price of admission and showcase Darkane’s excellent song writing skills. With the core of the band being together since 1998, Klas Ideberg and Christofer Malmström produce some killer riffs and weave back and forth between melodic sections and leads, creating a very dynamic and explosive atmosphere. Peter Wildoer does an excellent job behind the drum kit, carving his way between melodic passages and harsh and relentless brutal assaults, like on one of our favorite tracks “Collapse of Illusions”.

By the time we reach “Existence Is Just A State Of Mind”, we can’t believe we have just heard 11 tracks since the time was just flying by. The band’s biggest asset is their excellent skills to deliver track after track of well-crafted and intelligent music that never gets dull of repetitive. This song has a bit of Groove Metal influences, allowing them to sound sometimes like Meshuggah and similar bands.

The digipack extra songs are just the icing on the top of this excellent and well elaborate Metal music cake. If you are a fan of Death/Thrash with a knack for Swedish DM and Melodic DM, you are in for a treat with “The Sinister Supremacy”. Overall, Darkane has clearly outdone themselves with this amazing and crushing release. Featuring their main musical core intact for years, they have managed to refine their craft and put out one hell of a release this 2013.

Label: Massacre Records

Release: June 28th, 2013

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal

Country: Sweden