Heavy Metal Tribune

Darkside of Innocence [Portugal]
Xenogenesis
2012
Full Length
Infektion Records
Avant-Garde Metal

I personally dislike symphonic black metal, and having a band present itself as symphonic black metal with gothic metal influences combined has left me slightly apprehensive of Darkside of Innocence's latest album, Xenogenesis. It also doesn't help that the band has call their musical style "gnostic metal", leaving me even more sceptical, with almost an air of pretentiousness that surrounds the band (or at least that's what the impression of bands that invent their own labels give me).

Album opener Lux is a short introductory track, with lots of synths to set the mood, as do most bands with symphonic metal tendencies, and is nothing particularly noteworthy. Even as the next track Airian begins, there is nothing that stands out in particular, until somewhere near the 1 minute mark where all things start going chaotic, with the drums suddenly sounding all complicated, even giving the song an almost industrial touch. This is where the band's invented label starts to make sense, since attempting to really put this band in a particular certainly seems like a difficult task. The disjointed riffs that accompany the schizophrenic drums tend to sound slightly messy, but as the song progresses this starts to make sense, as a haunting female backing vocals accompany the chaos created by the instruments and the gruff vocals of band mastermind Pedro Remiz.

The arrangements of the songs on the album also have a progressive touch to them, with the constant shifting in time signatures, and of course, the technical and complex instrumental sections, like the jazzy parts on Dulcifer Tragoedia. The fusion of elements from all forms of genres also add a unique flavour to the music. In particular, the industrial and electronic influences seem to be one of the most prominent, with songs like Dulcifer Tragoedia seeing the band once again including such moments heavily. The usage of horns and air instruments on Nox Omega even gives the song a somewhat avant-garde metal feel as well. The constantly change in musical style on the album also keeps listeners surprised, not knowing what to expect as the band jumps from one style to the next with little or no warning at all. While this could undoubtedly be something interesting for the adventurous metalhead, there are times when the transitions between styles make no sense at all, and end up with the band sounding almost ridiculous instead.

Despite that though, the band's symphonic black metal foundations are still present, with melodies on songs even retaining some sense of melancholy, retaining some sense of sanity amidst the disturbing surroundings, especially on songs like Nox Omega. The usage of symphonic metal-styled female vocals like on Eros also helps to provide the much-needed emotional touch in the music. Despite this album being not exactly a genre that I am particularly fond of, Darkside of Innocence has certainly surprised me with this huge melting pot of different influences.

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©2012 Heavy Metal Tribune | Hong Rui