Dark Suns

Existence

Prophecy Productions

6/10: Progressive metal

Playing time: 77.57

Right. I'm definitely not the person who should be reviewing this, but I'm not one to back down from a challenge, so here goes...

First off, I am sick and bloody tired of the name dropping when reading something concerning Dark Suns (Katatonia & Opeth being the main ones).
Admittedly, on the surface, Dark Suns bare a striking resemblance to said Swedes. But when one delves a little deeper, they will find one very important factor missing - MEMORABLE SONGWRITING! And by no means is this a minor complaint. In fact, its what distinguishes great bands like Opeth, from mediocre bands like Dark Suns. It doesn't matter how fucking long you have played a particular instrument, or for that matter how well you play it, cause if I can't remember the song 10 seconds after I've listened to it, then what the hell is the purpose of writing at all? Bands like this tend to really get under my skin. Dark Suns claim to be 'progressive, ambitious, emotional, diverse and passionate'. With that said, let us tackle each self-described word.

1. Progressive: yes, Dark Suns is indeed progressive, nauseatingly so. Opeth
are also considered progressive, yet still manage to write clever, memorable songs under this guise.

2. Ambitious: overly ambitious is a better way to describe Dark Suns. It seems
to me that they are trying too hard, always a recipe for disaster. Each song could stand to be 3-5 minutes shorter (albeit, track 1 is promising)

3. Emotional: doesn't this mean that the listener should experience some form
of emotional upheaval - be it elation, sadness, anger, etc? I felt nothing; well that's not entirely true. I did experience frustration during, and finally joy when it was all over.

4. Diverse: sure, the diversity in the bands they rip off is staggering -
Opeth, Katatonia, Porcupine Tree, Anathema, Orphaned Land, etc... yet they still can't write a memorable song, go figure!

5. Passionate: I will give credit where credit is due. Dark Suns is definitely
passionate about what they do, yet this will only appeal to the die-hard 'progressive' freaks out there. For those with more discerning tastes, stay away.

Anyway, this wasn't intended to be a scathing review. In fact, Dark Suns are a very talented band. They just need to find their own sound and distinguish themselves from the big boys of the genre. I remain optimistic that this will happen. You can just smell the potential brewing beneath the surface.

Jason Deaville