Sporting a member of Marduk, Darkified offers dark old school Swedish death metal. This disc is a compilation of their '91 demo and 7" from 1992. The demo material has an early Marduk vibe (Fuck Me Jesus era) and the vocals are a raspy death metal howl sometimes reminding me of Gollum's voice from the animated movie "The Hobbit." The last three tracks (from the 7") also have that Marduk vibe in basic composition, but they also add some Edge of Sanity-esque calmer parts. Production is thicker for the 7" tracks thanks to Daniel Swano. Capt. Swano also recorded the demo material, but the drums are clearer and the guitars are thicker for the 7" tracks. Anyway, to repeat, Darkified should appeal to fans of early Marduky (dookey!!) with smidgens of Edge of Sanity death metal. The first few tracks have a rawer feel to them, giving them more of an "occult" feeling. The last few tracks are dark, but the production makes them a little bouncier.

© 2000 j. mcintyre