Darkest Era – The Last Caress of Light

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Its not common for metal bands to make it out of Ireland, so the signing of Northern Irish metal band Darkest Era to Metal Blade records was something to be celebrated. Their debut CD for the label, The Last Caress of Light is, certainly of a higher production quality than the band’s earlier releases, though seems to have come with a slower, deeper sound. This isn’t a bad thing, but it is noticeable upon first listen that they seem less energetic in their delivery. The band’s sound itself is rather difficult to pin down, playing mildly Celtic-tinged heavy metal with some subtle influences of doom, folk and perhaps even black metal in the mix as well. Needless to say this doesn’t fit into genre pigeonholes very easily, which does make them rather appealing. The band’s sound is mostly sombre but full of melody, with the music being driven by a strong vocal delivery and characteristic twin guitars. As one might expect from a Celtic rock band, they do break for the odd Celtic folk song (Poem To The Gael), though they are able to create anthems where necessary as well such as the opener The Morrigan. The album perhaps lacks any real “wow” factor, but songwriting is consistently good and comes across as one that gets better with repeated listens. Those seeking a heavy, aggressive record will find little here, but others might be intrigued by the band’s mix of subtle Celtic influences and traditional heavy metal.

Written by James Donovan
More: 2011, Albums, Heavy Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Darkest Era