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Darkseed - Poison Awaits review



Reviewer:
8.5

82 users:
7.87
Band: Darkseed
Album: Poison Awaits
Release date: July 2010


01. Roads
02. Incinerate
03. Poison Awaits
04. Seeds Of Sorrow
05. All Is Vanity
06. Black Throne
07. A Dual Pact
08. Torn To Shatters
09. No Promise In The Heavens
10. Striving For Fire
11. Timeless Skies
12. King In The Sun
13. The Demon Within [Digipak bonus]
14. Comptine D'Un Autre Eté [Digipak bonus]

Darkseed is a personal favorite in the gothic metal genre and I was surprised to see that Stephan Hertrich is no longer part of the band, one thing I loved about this Deutsch act was his voice, both clean, melodic hoarse and grunting. Good news though concerning their 2010 release, Poison Awaits. The new vocalist isn't unknown to the band, he'd been around during the first era of Darkseed, having participated in another project of Stephan as well, Betray My Secrets, henceforth he's part of the family. Harald Winkler is a bit generic but very good vocalist, melodic with a deeper accent at times, a few times lending a few grunts/whispers as well. I still prefer Stephan but having loved this band and since Harald knows really well how to stand behind the microphone I don't think the fans will be disapointed, maybe a little in the beginning, only then.

Poison Awaits is a wonderful gothic metal/rock album, heavy enough to remain metal, fragile enough to earn its rock character, in terms of gothic always, served with a beautifully sickening cover artwork. As for the atmosphere? Dynamic, yes, dynamic! Without ever forgetting its hallucinating and beautiful moments where you lose yourself in emotion. The slight appearance of electronics and FX paces in an ideal way with the heavy riffing and the rhythm section lending groove and pulse to the compositions. Whenever not being electronic, the keyboards evoke a bittersweet ambiance that caresses the listener and along with Harald's expressive vocal lines the outcome is quite beautiful.

The worthy of being title-track, the melancholic and fragile “Seeds Of Sorrow” and “Torn To Shatters”, the brilliant “All Is Vanity”, the dual (aggression/melody) nature of “Striving For Fire”, the mid-paced “Timeless Skies” bringing to mind the adored Diving Into Darkness (with a Paradise Lost sense as well) and a wonderful way to bring such a good album to end, the groovy “King In The Sun”, have to be my personal favorites I could refer to as well as standout tracks, they sum up really well the overall atmosphere.

If you're searching for something heavier, less commercial and more serious than Lacrimas Profundere's latest releases then Poison Awaits is an album for you, the modern gothic rock/metal scene of Germany has formed a main sound background on which all bands consisting of it float upon, Darkseed with their inspiration and maturity are a step ahead, "autumm rides upon the blackened tide."


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 8
Production: 9





Written on 13.09.2010 by "It is myself I have never met, whose face is pasted on the underside of my mind."


Comments

Comments: 5   Visited by: 100 users
17.09.2010 - 01:24
fade
Son of Sweden
Good review DerRozzengarten - I have not heard them in years and I am glad they are still around. I used to think they were a good Sentenced rip off thier old stuff anyway...
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The troubles of avoiding horseshit.
My Music database: http://www.racksandtags.com/northernsky/
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17.09.2010 - 19:31
Rating: 7
Jason W.
Razorbliss
Not sure why I was not so impressed with the samples first time around a few months back, but checking them again, I was wrong - this is very good Added to my order lists! Thanks for the review
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"After silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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17.09.2010 - 21:40
RobertNowhere

Im new to this band, so i dont have much in the way of attachment to the original vocalist...

im loving this, quite frankly...i dont usually listen to gothic-metal...

my mistake, apparently...
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http://robertnowhere.blogspot.com
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17.09.2010 - 21:44
Rating: 8
KwonVerge
Odysseus
Written by RobertNowhere on 17.09.2010 at 21:40

Im new to this band, so i dont have much in the way of attachment to the original vocalist...

im loving this, quite frankly...i dont usually listen to gothic-metal...

my mistake, apparently...

Try out Diving Into Darkness from Darkseed as well You will adore it i suppose. And then Astral Adventures/Ultimate Darkness.
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Dec. 30, 1334.

...And the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on.
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17.09.2010 - 21:44
Rating: 8
KwonVerge
Odysseus
Written by Jason W. on 17.09.2010 at 19:31

Not sure why I was not so impressed with the samples first time around a few months back, but checking them again, I was wrong - this is very good Added to my order lists! Thanks for the review

Thanks for enjoying a band i could say i love
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Dec. 30, 1334.

...And the whiskey and wine entered our veins when blood was too weak to carry on.
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