Darkane – Inhuman Spirits
Release Date: 24th June 2022
Label: Massacre Records
Pre-Order/Pre-Save
Genre: Melodic Death Metal, Death Metal, Thrash Metal.
FFO: At the Gates, Soilwork, Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquility.
Review By: Eric Wilt
If you listened to melodeath during the 2000s, you no doubt already know of Darkane. From 1999 through 2010, they released five albums of thrash-infused melodic death metal, mostly for their former label Nuclear Blast. Despite never reaching the levels of mainstream popularity of fellow meoldeathers such as Soilwork,Arch Enemy, or Dark Tranquility, Darkane’s output from the time is on par with that of any of their contemporaries. Although they never totally went away, they only released one album during the second decade of the 21st century, a 2013 album called The Sinister Supremacy. Nine years later, Darkane is poised to release their 7th studio album, Inhuman Spirits.
The biggest difference between 2000s Darkane and the current incarnation of the band is the return of vocalist Lawrence Mackrory who performed on the debut album Rusted Angel. After leaving in 1999, Mackrory didn’t perform on another Darkane album until The Sinister Supremacy. For my money, Mackrory’s deeper and fuller voice fits Darkane’s music best, so his return blasts them to another level.
Musically, Darkane’s still thrashing. Songs like Embrace the Flames, Inhaling Mental Chaos, and The Great Deceiver are no frills thrashers similar to Exodus’s latter years output. Inhuman Spirits and the Quintessence of Evil utilize symphonic synth to add a layer of atmosphere to their usual formula, while The Quintessence of Evil is a midtempo rocker that shows Darkane can slow things down and evoke emotion in addition to being able to bring the speed. A Spiral to Nothing has a punky chorus that reminds me of some of Megadeth’s catchier tunes, and Välander, the final song on the album, is a welcome minute and a half of piano that feels like the calm returning after spending 40 minutes in the maelstrom.
Overall, Mackrory, guitarists Christofer Malmström and Klas Ideberg, bassist Jörgen Löfberg, and drummer Peter Wildoer are bringing the heat. On Inhuman Spirits, Darkane proves that while they’ve been away, they’ve only gotten stronger. Their latest outing is sure to please older fans and new fans alike. 
(4.5 / 5)
