Formed in 1998, Swedish death-thrashers Darkane are back with their sixth death-cudgel, The Sinister Supremacy. This comes five years after their last album Demonic Art (2008), and is the first studio recording with original vocalist Lawrence Mackrory since their debut album, Rusted Angel (1999). With the original line-up of Christofer Malmström (lead guitars), Klas Ideberg, Jörgen Löfberg (bass), Peter Wildoer (drums) reunited with Mackrory, The Sinister Supremacy comes with much anticipation for Darkane fans. The band has said “The Sinister Supremacy is a metaphor for the evil that controls us. It’s the dark part of our minds and it’s inside us all. It tells us it’s OK to do bad things, to hurt other people, and hurt ourselves. It guides us into making choices based on pure selfishness, and it thrives on complete chaos.” That statement alone leaves an intense impression before even listening to the album.
Like a elk on a rampage, the band plows through twelve songs on the highest technical level without mercy. With the help from long-time friend and producer Daniel Bergstrand (In Flames, Meshuggah, Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth, etc.), The Sinister Supremacy is setup with a massive sound-frame. The rhythm-section of Peter Wildoer (Arch Enemy, Old Man’s Child, Pestilence, among others), and Löfberg conjure a massive wall of sound, while Ideberg and Malmström’s guitar work run wild with sharp riffing and melodic leads. Compounding the adrenaline rush, Mackrory delivers a memorable performance on vocals proving old love never rusts.
The introduction track, “Sounds of Pre-Existence”, gives a false sense of safety before the title track, “The Sinister Supremacy,” cracks the listeners skull with heavy thrashing and an earworm-chorus. Putting the crown on the top, the double-leads in the song are executed brilliantly in a similar way to that of Soilwork. Cut from the same fabric, the following song “Mechanically Divine” shows the full range of Mackrory’s voice, from dark deep growls to clear tunes in the refrain.
As the album moves along, the first time the band lifts their foot off the throttle a bit, is the convincing “The Decline”. Starting with a nice string section, the song grows to a thrash-hymn, again carried by Mackrory’s clear and strong chorus. Apart from that, Darkane continues bombing down the death-thrash motorway. That thrashing is broken up once more with songs like ” Hate Repentant State”, which is a beautiful and calm instrumental piece, tapping an array of emotions while cleansing the pallet for the final three metal assaults titled “Collapse Of Illusion”, “By Darkness Designed”, and “Existence Is Just A State Of Mind”.
There is no doubt Darkane is back with a bombshell of an album that will inspire death-thrash and classic metal fans alike. The Sinister Supremacy helps Darkane take a big step in closing the gap to become the leading act in their respected metal genre. Maybe the only criticism of The Sinister Supremacy is that it could have been more diversified with one or two more slower songs, but this a question of taste and not about the quality songs the record produces. With all that said, the recipe for The Sinister Supremacy is clear and distinct; destroy and make a massive metal album. CrypticRock give this album a 4 out of 5.
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