DARKSIDE

Shadowfields

BIG BENG ! / Czech Republic

Bohous Nemec

The second album of this austro-czech (?) outfit, who surprised on their debut album not only with a 
master booklet, defined the way of death/doom new and streched the whole musical output to a classical 
sphere. Not only the lyrics hint to a monothematic album, but also the band gave more attention to the 
arrangements, which are not far from orchestral theatre tragedy. The whole material gives a very 
concerned impression, although you can find lots of changes and breaks. From the intro with a childs'
voice ( which can be found also in some other places on this record) over the redone „Shades Of 
Pictures In Grey“ from the debut ( Pictures In Grey, there) where you can find a beautiful female voice, 
which  together with the piano took the place of the original metal background. A further lesson in 
religion and belief comes with Noohoorsh, which on a display of nearly 10 minutes shows all the 
variations and skills of the band. But all this is only an oerd-euvre. After two more relaxing songs 
everything is closed by the 11 minutes epos Requiem, which is without doubt the highpoint of the whole 
Cd !
Here you can find everything, what is hinted to by DARKSIDE in other places only very vague. The 
keyboarder Sn finally proofs, how important those magical patterns are in the music of tghe band. I 
dislike a little bit the sometimes useless deep growls. Also a little smoother male vocals would have 
suited more to the girls voice. But this is maybe the only weak point of a release in a genre, where it 
very hard to create something new.  The band succeeds in this attempt, but I cannot agree with the sound 
( even if I know that the band wanted it exactly in this way). It is simply unsatisfying.  The PAST 
Studio in Hradec Kralove didn't convince me already in other times.
I have listened to the album a lot of times on a lot of different machines, and the whole impression of 
the album is destroyed by the overbassed and garage like sound. And in this case the damage is a very 
high one.