Dark Letter – Psychomachia (2015)

Bringing back the days of Dreams of Sanity-like Gothic Metal/Rock, today we have Dark Letter and their debut EP titled “Psychomachia”. Featuring a simple yet effective approach to the genre, this young Polish outfit delivers five solid tracks filled with atmosphere and somber vocals. If you liked Gothic Metal bands from the late 90’s, this band will bring those days back to life with their 26 minutes of music.

Opening with the mysterious “Toy”, the band sets a very mellow mood when pairing keyboard arrangements with well-structured drum patterns and Beata Golińska’s singular vocal style. Her style is a bit more firm and natural sounding than most actual female leads of the genre, giving the songs enough power and firmness to sound dark and not too sweet. The playfulness of tracks like “Romasanta” allows the listener to enjoy multiple facets of the band’s musical skills.

“Sleepy Hollow” is that typical track that Goth bands used to play, with dynamic guitar work and funky keyboards. Keeping things dark and magical, “Anneliese” is the most atmospheric piece of this album. We particularly enjoy how the tempo is just right to create a thick atmosphere around such a dark song. Winding down with a slightly modified version of the opening song, but with some male vocals thrown into the mix, we are left wanting some more from this promising band.

Constantly changing things up and managing to craft unique melodies, this album has some pretty entertaining songs that will please any fan of the genre. If you like old-school Gothic Metal/Rock when having a somber atmosphere was more important than having tons of keyboards or an extremely sweet sounding front woman, then “Pyschomachia” will be right up your alley.

Label: Self-Released

Release: September 26th, 2015

Genre: Gothic Metal/Rock

Country: Poland