Darklon - The Redeemer Review

If one asks me what I like the most about the NWOBHM I will certainly say it’s the contrasting melodies. I love the way bands mix the speed and the aggression of the guitars with their melodies. The first time I heard Judas Priest – I guess it was “Screaming for Vengeance” – I went bananas with the twin guitars and the melody contrasting with all their sonic power. Needless to say that about Judas Priest’s music the contrasts do not come only from the guitars and vocals, they come from vocals as well. Mr. Robert Halford dealed with the contrasts of his voice with flying colors. A high pitch could be followed by a low tuned voice or the other way around. I guess no one knew it better. Ok, it’s fair to say that not only Judas Priest, other Old School Heavy Metal bands used to do the same. By the way, this is – let’s say – the typical feature of Old School Heavy Metal bands. When I hear a song like “Way back Home” all this come aboard to a trip into the safe and sound past. Darklon really knew how to emulate the same atmosphere from back then.

Ok, don’t get me wrong, vocalist Nikos Migus A. is no Robert Halford, in fact, no one is, but he does wonders with his voice here in “The Reedemer,” which by the way, has a Judas Priest inspired tittle. His voice is harsher and lower, but he does pretty good contrasts with it. The man sings with his heart and it’s impossible to beat anyone who does that. “I Am Death” tell this tale much better than I do. Maybe the best track of the album with all the contrasts it brings and the very special interpretation vocalist Nikos Migus A. does here. Alright, it’s not only the vocals that call the attention to the album, the guitars do as well. The riffing in “Iron Glory” is really something to be proud of. It’s a blast of minimalism as it is short and precise as the blade it was made from. It’s also fair to say that “The Reedemer” has many guitar riffs to be really proud of. To think that there is only one guitarist doing this is really something. D.K. Kras did a great job not only with the riffs but also with the guitar solos. The effect of a track like “The Downfal” is really mesmerizing. The kind of song to slowly spin the head away. I can see the crowd doing this from here while listening to it.

Alright, again, Darklon may not be the most original band in this sad and lonely and pathetic little planet, but on their behalf they are one of the most enthusiastic. This counts a lot. When we say about tradition on Metal music world we’re surely are talking about bands as Darklon. I doubt the headbanger that stay put while listening to the Speed Metal inspired guitar riffing from album opener and tittle “The Reedemer.”

Darklon “The Reedemer” will be released on May 19th via No Remorse Records.

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