The pandemic has been fascinating for all the old bands and side projects that were able to be reinvigorated because the pandemic gave them the time off the road. One such band is Darkwoods My Betrothed a Finnish black metal project including Tuomas Holopainen and Kai Hanto from Nightwish. The end result is some truly fantastic epic black metal that, while at times it can sound a bit dated, is in fact an extremely fun and even nostalgic listen. An exploration of a sound that the scene could do with more of.
Darkness My Betrothed shines because of its distinctly gothic sensibilities. The keyboard padding provides a wonderful backdrop to elegantly executed mid tempo black metal riffs. The guitar tone on this record is phenomenal. It's nice and meaty, full of life and prone to capturing the imagination. Just listen to the execution on tracks like 'Massacre' for a taste of the larger than life ministrations that serve to make Angel Of Carnage Unleashed such a profound and interesting album. It's a record that leans into a of tropes, but those tropes helped shape the genre and Darkwoods My Betrothed does an excellent job of building on them, partially because they helped shape them.
Angel Of Carnage Unleashed is a delectable record from a band who helped shape the scene. Frequently after nearly a quarter century of silence black metla bands new offerings are weak and unremarkable. This record is the glorious exception. It's anthemic black metal done right. It deals in crunchy riffs and larger than life bombast. Allow yourself to get immersed in the bands trademark howls and gut churning rhythms and you will start to feel the twisted and gloriously bitter magic of what Darkwoods My Betrothed have accomplished.
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