Top 10 Thrash Metal Albums of 2024 #4 Darkness - Blood On Canvas
Xmas is upon us ya filthy animals! Time to do a Top 10 Thrash Metal Albums of 2024 and see how the year has treated us!
Darkness' story begins back in the 80s... but enough of that sh!t!
Blood On Canvas represents the better teutonics and more than half of the reason for me is the vocalist Lee; the man bloody sounds like what you'd imagine an ashtray sound like if it'd break into a song. He sounds as nasty as he is articulate - he's got one of those voices that go with heavy metal like a fist into the eye.
Think about Lemmy and Udo and take from that what you will
Oh, don't get me wrong, there is a clear teutonic heritage here from top to bottom. Darkness is an engine, but unlike its countrymen, this one's pistons have some slack for it to breathe and age like wine. Blood On Canvas isn't in any kind of hurry and that lifts it above its brethren.
"A Couple of Kills" elaborates from where the first rather linear romp leaves it. Its relentless and displays character beyond mere thrashing about. There is a definite flippant quality to their sh!t and songs are generally great fun to listen to as they're neatly built and keep your attention - shred hits you precisely when you crave for it!
Its a kind of elation and a degree of discovery of music, no matter the topic, that resonates heavily with me - and this one has plenty.
"If I were a poet I would write my ode in red With the blood of innocence, the color of the dead"
Maybe it was the break they took awhile that shocked their bones with new kind of creative energy - who the hell knows these things!
"Truth is a Whore" as a song title pretty much sums up the attitude what you'd come to expect from a Thrash Metal band. Having a bit more life experience than most bands out there this one has that credibility that comes only with age. "Human Flesh Wasted" is a laconic (yet catchy as heck) ditty about the insignificance of the individual in our society machinery. Blood On Canvas is a mid-tempo celebration of writing catchy sh!t - and one that knows where the throttle is when needed.
Darkness' latest album is chock full of insightful compositional changes and developments atop a straightforward mosh. They adhere closely to the principle of KISS, Keep It Simple, Stupid, but ain't afraid to wiggle their toes past the lanes - which absolutely makes this album a beast.
The teutonic heritage of flattening the sound and exorcising dynamics is unfortunately present, and can call for a bit of an acquired taste to enjoy. Don't know what happened really, as their previous albums sounded a lot better. However, the soullessness of sound is countered by compositional prowess and the aforementioned vocals that put actual hooks into the songs for you to scream to - and not many Thrash Metal acts has a claim at that!
THRASH-O-METER
★★★★☆ SONGWRITING
★★★★☆ THEMES
★★★★☆ LONGEVITY
★★☆☆☆ PRODUCTION
★★★★☆ THRASHABILITY
SCORE:
★★★★☆ BADASS SH!T
(decimals are for weaklings)