EXISTENCE

I was positively surprised when I first discovered this band in 2005, just after the release of their second album "Existence". I read somewhere that this band originated from the black metal scene, so I was expecting some sort of Opeth-hybrid. So the 'breathiness' of this record totally caught me off-guard!

The depressing opening track Zero, which basically only includes dark ambiances and spoken word, sets the tone for the next 75+ minutes. The music included here is a mixture of Opeth-like metal and Floydian soundscapes. Mind you though: with the exception of one short fragment in the final track NO growling/grunt vocals are included on "Existence".

It's true that fans of heavier (metal) music will find something to their liking on this album, yet, unlike that other band Opeth, the music here is lesser based on repetition of form (i.e. the guitar riffs) and more on experimentation and the creation of constantly shifting segments of music. This makes the music more appealing to long-time fans of the symphonic rock movement. In a way you could compare Dark Suns to Pain of Salvation: they both are most definitely metal, but they also send out various signals of progression, experimentation and luckily no stagnation.

Share this DARK SUNS review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Tristan Mulders
• Report this review (#117390)
• Buy DARK SUNS music online with PA partners
• Show all DARK SUNS MP3/Stream
• Go to DARK SUNS page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Existence page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for DARK SUNS related discussions