- Country: Hungary
- Genre: Progressive Metal / Symphonic Metal / Melodic Death Metal
- For fans of: Septicflesh, Rotting Christ, Cradle of Filth
DARKWAVE – Evanescent Horizons
Zsolt Némethy is the mind behind Darkwave and on “Evanescent Horizons” he presents an album that stands on quite different points of Metal. Its core idea revolves around the end of a long relationship and one person’s attempt to deal with what is left behind.
The story may speak of love, loss and loneliness, but the music is anything but calm. Here we have Melodic Death Metal guitars and drums, Symphonic elements, neoclassical leads and Progressive passages that appear when needed.
Melody, darkness and quite a few changes
What stands out early is the way Némethy blends the different influences.
The guitars hold the Death Metal part of the sound, with plenty of riffs and fast passages, while on top come classical instruments and mainly church organ. The keys give a darker and more Gothic feel, without however turning the whole record into pure Symphonic Metal.
On “Blood-Sealed Solitude” there is even a Progressive disposition, with tempo changes that reach up to 7/8. It is not something done simply to show the band can play difficult things. It ties in quite well with the song.
“Transitio Mundi” is perhaps the most cinematic moment of the record. It starts slower, with vocals full of effects and intense strings, before the guitars enter with arpeggios and the track takes a much stranger turn.
It is one of those moments where the record becomes truly interesting.
The guitars are the strong point
Although “Evanescent Horizons” is a solo project, Némethy has managed to fill the sound quite well.
The guitars are the strongest part of the compositions. The leads have melody, there are plenty of neoclassical passages and in points like “The Good Friday Exsultet” it shows that most of the work is there.
By contrast, the other instruments serve the songs more than trying to steal the show.
This shows most in the vocals. The growls are quite flat and repetitive, with the result that they don’t always bring out all the emotion the album’s story wants to convey.
They aren’t bad, it’s just that on a record that relies so much on atmosphere I would have expected a bit more intensity and variety.
When the ideas start repeating
“Evanescent Horizons” is an interesting listen, but not all the songs are equally strong.
There are plenty of classic Melodic Death Metal points that we’ve heard many times before, while some of the symphonic passages are quite simple.
This becomes most noticeable in the second half of the record. Some tracks work better on their own than when heard continuously as part of the concept.
“The Parchment Night” even moves into more cabaret territory. It is one of those points that can easily divide listeners. Fortunately, here Némethy’s approach doesn’t become excessive and the song stays within the record’s general mood.
The production also follows the familiar “wall of sound” logic, with everything sounding full and loud. I would have wanted a bit more space between the instruments, though. The melodies have plenty of work behind them and would benefit if they could breathe more.
Tracklist
- Gaslight Elegy – 05:50
- Blood-Sealed Solitude – 04:49
- The Parchment Night – 05:26
- Transitio Mundi – 06:11
- The Godhook Silence – 05:32
- TrES-2b – 01:49
- Farewell to the Angel of Sardis – 07:19
- The Good Friday Exsultet – 05:46
- On the Turning of the Years – 05:53
- The Last Dance of the Unchosen – 06:09
- Compline Over the World – 03:10
