Customer Reviews

Expanding Senses

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For my 100th review on Amazon.com (or at least one that's credited directly to me), I decided to review something special. Well, I have discovered a band recently that, through this album, has become very special to me. This band is Darkane, and this album is EXPANDING SENSES.

Still another band hailing from Sweden, the great land of melodic metal, Darkane is one of the most technically-driven melodeath bands to ever rock the earth. Although the rest of the band is awesome, I think I'll start raving about Darkane with their most powerful member: drummer Peter Wildoer.

This man is, quite simply, INSANE. His diverse, highly technical drumming (which is the main framework upon which this music is driven) is jaw-droppingly more than just effective. For me, his drumming is the absolute pinnacle of Darkane's brutal sound. Many people say that his drumming is complex. Complex? That's an INSULT to how precisely intricate his beats and rhythms further destroy a listener's ear drums. He'll be keeping one time on, say, his cymbals, while his feet pound out a double-bass rhythm that is patterned in strange time, and meanwhile the snare blasts away at yet another beat; however, THIS IS ALL DONE PERFECTLY WITHIN A STEADY RHYTHM. This might sound like a fairly standard formula used by drummers everywhere, but one listen to his absolute culmination of drumming talent on this album (the bridge to the awesome "Imaginary Entity"), and you will know the true power of technical percussion.

Now, for the rest of the band:

Andreas Sydow is a unique vocalist. His signature voice is a throaty roar that is somewhat robotic, but it adds to Darkane's technical sound. It's got a bit of range in itself, this voice, but maintains a very distinct rasp. However, Sydow often erupts into a terrific death metal growl, which also has that robotic tone, but with a deeper, more fierce edge. His most diverse performance is on "Solitary Confinement," which switches between death-metal vocals during the verses, and strikingly emotional cries during the choruses. Wildoer often acts as a backing vocalist, so there are multiple voices that add to the madness and mental decay of the lyrics (which were written largely by Wildoer, but also by the guitarists).

Jörgen Löfberg adds a good bass rhythm, and while there are few moments where it particularly stands out, it is easy to realize that he uses fairly complex chords in the ever-changing riffs of each song.

Finally, Klaus Ideberg and Christofer Malmström are a tight guitar duo. They have deep, shredding riffs that would whet any metal fan's appetite, and an excellent sense of melody, which is the other great thing about Darkane. Great solos, too - again, very melodic, and well-timed and -placed. Malmström's leads are especially noteworthy; they carry great amounts of notes and hooks, and can be very catchy (just listen to his solo on "Imaginary Entity"). My one and only problem with Mamstrom and Ideberg is that neither of them performed the acoustic classical guitar in the outro to "Violence From Within," but instead some hired person did it. True, they probably could play it on their own, but I feel like this was a sign of copping out for whatever reason.

All the songs are bone-crushingly heavy and very distinct. Just listen to the pre-choruses of "Violence From Within," with those evil-sounding riffs as Sydow roars, "Catatonic state of mind/ SevERE mania/ Emotionally devastating illness." Very cool. There is also some usage of keyboards and programming throughout the album, like on the intros and outros to "Imaginary Entity" and "Submissive." The keyboards mainly serve as an extra textural device in the flurry of guitar riffs and thunderous drums to further emphasize the melody. There's also a full choir (or at least 13 people total, as well as the members of Darkane themselves) used in the background to many of the songs, again to aid the melodies.

Let me just add as a side note that one song, "Imaginary Entity," is one of the most addictive I have listened to in a long time. I often will listen to it repeatedly, just for the sake of listening to that bridge. After a fast-paced series of verses and choruses (at ever-changing in timing), there is a heavy BOOM of riff and beat that gears up a change in the timing, and then starts one of the most insane drum beats I've ever heard as Wildoer pounds out on the skins. I'm not yet familiar with the musical formulae of beats and time, but I know a complex rhythm when I hear one, and this is it (and more). This awesome rhythm cycles three times before Malmström's guitar solo SLICES in with such precision, and with such a perfectly shredding series of notes, I am just left in awe. Oh yeah, the song is great in other ways, and Ideberg's solo is impressive, but after hearing Wildoer's rhythm and Malmström's lead, it's hard to really give anything else in the song much attention. This song, singlehandedly, may be one of the top 10 best songs I've ever heard, just because of that bridge.

That's about the extent of what I can say about this fantastic metal album. So far it is the only Darkane album that I own in my collection, but more are to come, I can assure that. Only time will tell, I suppose.

Well, the first time I heard about Darkane was when I bought Dimmu Borgir's Spiritual Black Dimensions. Nuclear Blast has got a habit of putting those leaflets with adverts into their CD cover, so I decided to check it out. I found a couple of tracks offered for listening on the net and thought it sounded pretty good. Then, about a month after, I found myself in a music shop and spotted Darkane's Expanding Senses. I picked it up and played it straight away once got home.
I was very impressed. Very impressed indeed! Being a big time fan of Meshuggah, I could straight away spot some similarities. We can hear the repeated riff, and it has those amazing changes. The vocals are also hammered down with power as in Meshuggah...then there are also some (melodic)death metal screams here and there. I was very impressed by the guitars work. There's lot of variation. From Meshuggah like powerful riffs, to death metallish sounds, and even grindcore mixed into it.
Even thou it can be compared to many other bands, this band's got a whole unique style. There's a strange overall feeling about this album. It is something totally new - still seems well structured and just becomes very familiar. There's just those amazing slices of wierdness, like in, for example, the chorus-like part where "Feel so Quilty" is being sung, Darkane really have their own style - Don't know for sure, but I haven't heard anything like this before. There's a whole mood that builds up when you start listening to it.

I must say that this CD blew me away. It was my first Darkane CD, so I can't judge if this was the best or the worst.

So, comparisons? Meshuggah for sure, I'd also say that In Flame's Clayman and Reroute to Remain can be compared (but just the good aspects of it). I really can't compare it to anything.
So we end up with the conclusion - Pick this one up.

I absolutely adore this album, it's just so damn good. Everyone of these guys are damn virtuosos with their insterments and the vocals are freaking great, ranging from a deep throaty roar, to a passionate yell.

Technicality here is on top!!! Tempo changes on drums here are my favorite, and no talk about the guitar work, mindblowing!! If you like "Layers of Lies" take a ride on this!!!

Expanding Senses is another great musical journey from Darkane that will leave you asking youself "What the heck was that?" after the first listen.

However, compared to their second release "Insanity", the songs are much more structured and the vocals are much more clearer. The Meshuggah influence is still present but not as front and center this time as the music is more straight forward without as many crazy changes. But the sound is unmistakably Darkane.

I rated it 4 stars because I feel it hada lot to live up to after the great Insanity CD which is truly an experiance. Never the less, Expanding Senses is a great disc in it's own right as well.

Expanding senses is overall a well-rounded album and deserves recognition for being so but... doesn't quite live up to it's other albums.Here it shows Darkane changing more towards melodic death than its thrashier roots.Also they got rid of Lawrence Mackrory, his replacement (Andreas Sydow) is good,but not up to par.Thankfully Peter Wildoer(ex-Arch Enemy) is still pounding the skins like usual, maybe not as good in rusted angel but hey, he's an awesome drummer anyways.Definetely worth the money, but if you're new to Darkane, check out Rusted Angel before getting Expanding Senses.

I first heard these guys on a killer video i saw of the song INNOCENCE GONE- in the dvd -Death...is just the beginning vol.7- this song is one of the best songs in that DARKANE cd for me, although all are just EXCELLENT, that song really got me into them so i decided to buy their cd, and MAN was this cd just kicking with great riffs and what i like the most is the drum beats, great bass on them along with the guitars, and with the perfect voice blends in when screaming- just blasts my car speakers, you hear this loud you'll know what i mean -IT LITERALY POUNDS IT ROUGH OUT.... First day heard it 5 times from start to finish and still drives me insane till now man- lyrics are great, very mature, i say this is just the best death metal cd i have ever heard and probably will for a while, these guys deserve recognition, i definatly recomend this to anyone really, their other cd's really [stink] though, dont know how they changed so dramatically, it just amazed me alot, youll definitly get your moneys worth,
DAMN IT BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!