Darkwater: Calling the Earth to Witness

Perfectly named, Sweden's Darkwater makes brooding, undulating music in the vein of Evergrey and Symphony X. Neither are perfect reference points, however, as Darkwater manages to avoid the extreme aggression and anger of those two bands on their latest discs. Instead, Darkwater ventures deep into melodic progressive-metal territory via less threatening vocals and spacious arrangements that get thick but not dense. The band enlisted Goran Finnberg (known for his work with In Flames, Dark Tranquility and The Haunted) to master its debut CD, Calling the Earth to Witness, and its crisp production and mysterious artwork lend an air of professionalism.

With nine songs spread out over 68 minutes, Calling the Earth to Witness often seems mired in the same mid-tempo darkness, despite some incredibly effective soloing from guitarist Markus Sigfridsson and keyboardist Magnus Holmberg. The band breaks out of it occasionally, with vocalist Henrik Båth using a range of delivery emotions, but the a cappella treatment at the beginning of "Habit" represents the musical risks this band needs to take more often if Darkwater is to break the surface.

Track Listing:
1) 2534167 (Intro)
2) All Eyes On Me
3) Again
4) Habit
5) The Play I
6) The Play II
7) Shattered
8) Tallest Tree
9) In My Dreams

Added: December 11th 2007
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:
Related Link: Official Darkwater Web Site
Hits: 5743
Language: english

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