01. Eyes Of Defiance
02. No Sign Of Life
03. Humanity Dethroned
04. The Forgotten Sin
05. Faded Dreams
06. Salvation Denied
07. Prelude
08. Haunted
09. Possessed (We Are One)
10. Closure
11. The Knife [Genesis cover]

Three years ago, I reviewed the first album of Dark Empire and I predicted a lot of good things for them. Sure, in three years they didn't become the new Iron Maiden but some people talked about them and they got a lot of positives feedbacks. Finally the band is back in 2008 with a new release which confirms all my hopes, seriously this band rocks and I hope that someone in a famous Metal label will understand it as soon as possible. "Humanity Dethroned" is just one of my favorite albums of the year 2008, don't miss it my friends!

"Humanity Dethroned" is a bit like the meeting of Blind Guardian with Nevermore and Symphony X and as you can guess, the music of Dark Empire is a good melting pot of different Metal genres. The Power side of Blind Guardian (with the voice? we will talk about it later), the aggressive and brutal side of Nevermore and the technical and Progressive aspect of Symphony X are featured in this release and it works pretty well! "Humanity Dethroned" is a great album, melodic with some Epic Power Metal choruses (but nothing cheesy don't worry) heavy with great thrashy riffs and always complex with true crazy guitars soli and real Progressive structures. It's really cool to listen to the music of Dark Empire because the songs are catchy, that's right, and are inspired by a lot of famous Metal genres but it doesn't sound like a copy cat. Dark Empire has found its own personality through this album and I'm quite sure that a lot of people will finally understand that we're in front of a major newcomer.

It's hard to find any real bad points on this album. First, its production is really good and the whole packaging is really professional but also the musicians are extremely convincing. The guitar soli of Matt Moliti are impressive and the voice of Jens Carlsson is extremely good, especially if you like the voice of Hansi Kürsch because that's right, this a bit similar to the one of the German singer but since that he can be a lot more aggressive too, this is ok for me. No really "Humanity Dethroned" is a great release full of hits, with even a great (semi) ballad, "The Forgotten Sin". Don't worry though, despite this mid-tempo song, you will be able to listen to a lot of fast Thrashy ones to (and if you like Metal a la Nevermore it should be perfect for you!) like the track "Humanity Dethroned". This album simply rocks!

My friends, you're just in front of one of the best releases of the year 2008. "Humanity Dethroned" is a great release with pure hits, high musical level skill and a lot of different influences. This is not linear and with a pure personality I really hope now that you'll follow me here and spread words about this combo to all your Metal mates. Dark Empire just have to be signed by a major now and I'm just sure that it will be a perfect way to gather the fans of Thrash, Power and Prog Metal together. Keep the good work, guys be sure that the fans will follow you now (and I promise you that I will be the first to talk about your great music!).

Performance:	9
Songwriting:	9
Originality:	8
Production:	8