Artist: Dark Sphere
Label: Self-released
Release: 2008
Every so often the wind scatters Matilda’s seeds over the sunny side of the Alps too, and they reach the sunniest part of Slovenia, the Pomurje plains, home of the local black metal outfit Dark Sphere, whose music creates eerie symphonies and odes to death. In a very short time together, this young band has recorded its first album, titled Dark Sphere, which will be released to the wide world on March 15, 2008.
The album kicks off in true black metal tradition, with an intro that sums up the whole concept of the record: experience the darkest ambient possible and conjure up a morbid atmosphere of death. It closes with a farewell outro that’s a touch more fairytale-like, so fans of the last two albums by the legendary Burzum will get their fill.
Right after the dark, emotional opening comes Dark Past, easily one of the best tracks on the album, so it’s no surprise the band chose to shoot a video for this very song. The track is extremely tactical and backed by excellent keyboards that build a morbid mood as you listen, and the high point is a guitar solo of almost half a minute that suddenly cuts through the mid-tempo rhythm and lifts the song way above average.
The guitar, and especially its melodic solo passages on this album, are downright phenomenal and, together with the keyboards, help reach the desired level of harmony, mysticism and atmosphere.
Vocalist Jumbo also shines on the album. Sure, he doesn’t have the most evil stage name, but he definitely has more than a good voice, using mid-high, raspy vocals across the whole record. His vocal delivery also helps make the band recognizable and original.
The bass lines are a bit weaker and hard to follow, maybe because of the “drum machine,” maybe because of the slightly weaker production.
Another quirk of Dark Sphere is that they don’t have a real drummer but use a so-called “drum machine,” meaning a computer program loaded with recorded drum sounds. Worldwide this is by no means a rare thing, but in Slovenia, apart from a couple of one-man bands, it’s a bright exception. They don’t have a real drummer at live shows yet either, using a backing track instead. On the album the “drums” sound fairly authentic, and it takes a few listens to realize the drummer isn’t real and that the whole thing sounds a little metallic.
The whole album feels cohesive and unified. Every song has its place on the record and none stands out in a negative way. We’re surprised by the good vocals and the “old school” guitar sound, which fights its way to a solo toward the end of every song. In production quality the release doesn’t reach international standards, but musically it surpasses them.
At last we can listen to an album whose main trump card is a musical idea expressed through a mystical atmosphere, not through world-famous producers or an overpriced recording studio that only covers up the musicians’ incompetence. With its slightly weaker production, Dark Sphere is actually even better, because in this case that factor adds to the magical mysticism woven through the whole album. After all, black metal doesn’t have to be technically flawless or polished; what matters is the idea itself and the feelings it stirs up while you listen.
And that’s exactly what you get from Dark Sphere: a confrontation with humanity’s most primal fear of death and a sense of darkness.
Lineup
Jumbo – vocals
Kain – bass guitar
Gothmog – guitar
Production
Dark Sphere
Tracklist
1.Dream Sequence (0:41)
2.Dark Past (4:18)
3.Poltergeist (4:36)
4.As I Pass Away (4:41)
5.Burrial (4:48)
6.Motherland (5:29)
7.Temačnost (3:53)
8.Zone Of Wonders (2:17)
