DARKNESS – The Gasoline Solution
- Posted on 22-10-2016
Lurking beneath the shadows in the Teutonic thrash furor that Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction dished out in the 1980’s would be a band like Darkness. They issued a series of demos and three albums during the 1980’s, playing in a raw, speedy manner that held no compromise for the genre – endearing them to the underground for certain even if they didn’t elevate to the status of those other groups. Reuniting in 2013, "The Gasoline Solution" represents the quintet’s first full-length record of new material in 27 years – and it’s as if time has stopped and the blitzkrieg power and ferociousness still reigns supreme on these 9 tracks.
The drum tempos are very straightforward and simplistic, riding the snare and kick for all its worth, while the lead breaks contain a lot of old school whammy bar and triad-oriented licks – making songs such as "Freedom on Parole" and "Dressed in Red" white hot and adrenaline driven for maximum head banging antics. When the changes take place, it’s only for a brief respite of sorts (seek out "Welcome to Pain" for the chorus especially) before we are off to the races again. The acidic, spitfire vocals of Lee straddle Tom from Sodom with Schmier of Destruction, but he has a sadistic German sneer that makes "Pay a Man" even more evil than the average thrash singer coming down the pike.
They say it’s difficult to teach an old dogs new tricks – but sometimes it’s not necessary to mess with a proven, effective formula. Darkness linger in that 80’s thrash mold and don’t feel the need to modernize their sound for anyone. "The Gasoline Solution" ignites through exciting riffs and strong performances, and will gain most appeal from long-timers into the genre.
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