SUIDAKRA – Darkanakrad

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7.0

• Bands:
  SUIDAKRA
• Duration: 00:49:48
• Available from: 07/11/2024
• Label:

• MDD Records

Streaming not yet available

Arkadius' band seems to have re-established itself on rather stable qualitative levels, after some tests in which the mastermind of Suidakra seemed to have lost the right path: let's say that the works released from “Realms Of Odoric” up to “Echoes Of Yore” in particular did not they were exactly the most exciting for the German melodic death metal band, who really seemed to have lost their luster.
The team, centered on the aforementioned Arkadius but now stable as a real band for some time, seemed to have raised its head already with the latest release, “Wolfbite”, which featured fresher and more concrete writing, and it is therefore pleasing to note that even this new work, “Darkanakrad”, seems to bring with it the fruits of an inspired and well-structured composition: in fact, you can hear how much the experience gained in thirty years of existence has been concentrated in pleasant songs that are not that great to go around that what they have to say. Most of the time, in fact, we have songs that are very direct and capable of getting to the heart of the matter without getting lost in useless pomposity, sparing out the acoustic moments in dedicated songs (“In Shadows Deep” for example is really pleasant, a little less – but not bad – “Ashes Of Truth”) and some guitar licks capable of getting stuck in your head very quickly.
The band's Swedish inspiration is quite evident in the songwriting, with many moments definitely indebted in some progressions to At The Gates (which are in fact also paid tribute to in a medley dedicated to them), but apart from some situations in which this is more evident ( as for example in “Seven Sentinels”) this does not disturb, given that the makings of good original songs are there. Other names that come out in terms of inspiration are certainly the 90s Dark Tranquility, in the construction of certain atmospheres that recall the riffing of “The Gallery”, but also the violent and melodic approach of Edge Of Sanity (also it is Dan Swanö to take care of the production).
Songs in particular that capture the attention are the lively “The Heart Of Darkness” or the good “As Heroes Abide”, both very fast but also capable of playing with the right dynamics, proving effective both in terms of impact and in the restitution of a pleasant and well integrated melody.
Also noteworthy is a well-functioning use of clean vocals, in a nice balance of some more aggressive moments by a well-structured band (“The Last Guardian”, probably the best song on the album).
In short, a record that marks a newfound good state for Suidakra, who are in very good shape at the dawn of the first three decades of existence. A decent return.