Arkaea - Years In The Darkness
Arkaea’s newest release Years In Darkness is a massively heavy metalcore disc., This disc is full of aggression and is a full on balls out aural assault. I feel the aspect that stands out the most to me on this record is the ability of the vocalist to seamlessly blend many different musical genres. The combinination of low guttural growls, melodic screams and raspy shrieks along with an occasional clean vocal add uniqueness to the disc that many other bands do not possess.
Years In The Darkness is unbelievably fast as well. This is particularly noticeable on tracks like the blistering “Beneath Shades Of Grey ” and “Locust.” Oddly enough, for me this disc seems to improve the deeper I delved into it. I found myself enjoying tunes such as “Awakening,” “Black Ocean” and the punishing “Decimator.”
I was completely caught off guard by the song “Away From The Sun.” It is a slowed down extremely melodic tune with an almost ethereal sense about follows “Decimator” and contrasts it quite nicely, offering a reprieve from the madness I absolutely loved this tune because it not only gives the listeners ears a rest, but it is a well-written song that highlights Akea’s diversity as musicians and songwriters.
Even the bonus track, “Blackened Sky” is quite notable. A really addictive groove propels this song forward quickly making it my favorite track on the disc.
Make no mistake, Years In The Darkness is a ferociously heavy disc but I feel it contains enough variety in it to appeal to a wide section of the Metal audience. Check this one out.
Rating System
Thrash Magazine's overall rating system is based on the following criteria. Arkaea received a 8.7 because of the following:
Instrumental Rating (1-30): 27
Vocal Rating (1-30): 27
Lyrical Rating (1-25): 20
Presentation Rating (1-15): 13