2005-11-17
First thing you have to do with this release, is get past the awful cover art, I was sure this is a gothic album, certainly not the kind of music I found inside, this may throw off some people, a lot of them are known for buying albums based on their covers..
To the point, Damian Thorne is a true metal band, founded way back in 1983, they've released 2 albums prior to this, something that can be explained by the band taking some years off in between.
The thing is, as underground as this album looks, its actually well produced, well played, and features some kick-ass metal songs, most obvious focal point is Ken Mandat's guitar work, he's a talented guitarist that writes great riffs and also does some quality lead work, the rhythm section are also pros, and Joe Martin's vocals are as old school thrash as it gets, a powerful screamer with a good melodic approach as well.
Dark Ancestor starts off the album with a bang, old school thrash/power metal, with a great chorus and excellent guitar work, it seems strange to me that the band isn’t as well known as it should be, they're music is much better than a lot of bands that are considered "classic" and originated from the same time.
The album doesn’t let up at any point, tracks such as Dante's mire and Exit Jeckyll are old school metal at it's best, no large keyboard sections, no tuned down guitars, it's just basic, well-made metal.
I hope the band gets much better exposure than they did as of now, they deserve a good label and some money put into a good record, with a much better cover, they're well worth it.
Alon Miasnikov
