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DARKTRIBE “Forgotten Reveries”
DARKTRIBE “Forgotten Reveries”
By Colonel Angus
When I hear people like Gene Simmons say that rock is dead, I think he is not really looking. Sure, this is metal and not rock but I think he was pointing into rock as the overall umbrella that contained all the other genres that it spawned. For those who have not heard of DARKTRIBE before (myself included), they are a French outfit that focuses most of their sound on true power metal. There are bits and pieces of symphonic metal and I also hear a bit of EVERGREY thrown in for good measure.
After the obligatory intro piece, the band wastes no time in proving their worth. “I Walk Alone” hits at every aspect of power metal from the furious riffing to the thunderous drumming and culminating in the soaring vocals. Although DARKTRIBE may not be reinventing the wheel here, they pull it off with a truckload of style and conviction forcing the listener to do nothing else but sit back and enjoy the musical soundscape. Changing up the mood a bit, “The Fallen World” takes on a darker tone while still pulling in all those elements familiar in power metal. Those EVERGREY bits creeps in on “Sicilian Danza” and what really elevates this track are the keyboards provided by Loïc Manuello (who also does double duty by playing all the guitars on the record). His keyboard playing takes an otherwise stock tune and adds drama and urgency making it one of the standout moments on the disk.
Before we get the ballad-ish “Eden and Eclipse”, we are given another great slice of power metal in the form of “Ghost Memories”. Although I am enjoying everything so far, I have to say that there is a same-ness to the material so far which makes “Eden and Eclipse” a welcome detour of sorts. Sure, it is still power metal on the ballad side of things (meaning not in the wimpy hair metal vein) but still within the guardrails the band set for themselves.
As the record progressed, that familiar sound continued with “From Star to Dust” and “Reality” both of which are well-executed songs but fall into the space where you feel like you heard it before a couple of tracks earlier. Just when I thought the disk was going to end on more familiar notes, they manage to take all the same elements and rearrange them to come up with “Kings in the Sand”. This is a case of “the sum is greater than the parts” because these are the same parts that have created the previous few tracks but it all seems to work magnificently here. For those of you who listen to the first half or a record and then make a decision, “Kings in the Sand” is the perfect example of listening through to the end because there can be diamonds on the latter half.
“Forgotten Reveries” culminates with “Mornings of Fear” and the epic “Son of Illusion” which stretches out a little longer than needed. While it is shy of six and a half minutes, they could have cut this one down by a minute or two and still retained the epic feel. Aside from that, the record ends with some good tunes. I know I may have seemed a bit harsh towards the material in the middle by saying it doesn’t vary enough. While I stand behind that statement, I will say that DARKTRIBE know what they do and they do it well. “Forgotten Reveries” is a really good overall record with some great tunes that make it worth purchasing. And it is good enough to spark interest in their older catalogue.
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