Darzamat – Transkarpatia / 2006 Metal Mind / 14 Tracks / http://www.darzamat.art.pl / http://www.mvdb2b.com / Reviewed 04 October 2006

The bands that immediately remind me of Darzamat include Nightwish and a harder Evanescence. However, there is enough theatrical black metal on “Transkarpatia” to counteract any pop influences that the female voice may seem to entail. At some point, the type of black metal that Darzamat commits to disc is still tremenedously poppy, as a song like “Hallucinations” finds itself in lock-step with classical arrangements.

The band could be a success virtually anywhere; nothing limits the band to the Polish metal scene here. The production is top-notch and the tracks show a mature band that allows all parts of their act to shine. The only thing that could be construed as a weakness for Darzamat has to be certain times on “Transkarpatia” where the vocalist does a vocal trill not quite unlike opera singers and/or the American “divas” (Christina Aguliera, Mariah Carey). The disc’s first really amazing track comes with “The Burning Times”, which allows a fair share of post-apocalyptic rock not quite unlike that laid down by acts like Queensryche during their “Operation Mindcrime” period. The band actually can play songs that are not necessarily metal, either. During “Letter To Hell”, Darzamat puts together a track that seems much more influenced by the spirit of jazz and film noir soundtracks than any Manowar album.

One thing that individuals need to know about Darzamat is the fact that the drums are typically a major factor during each and every track on “Transkarpatia”. While most bands have a pretty active person behind the drums, the arrangement of Darzamat is such that the drums struggle for dominance fairly regularly with the vocals. During “Labyrinth of Anxiety”, Darzamat removes any pop from their general sound to create a metal track that is without remorse. The band can continually change up their sound and still have enough present in each track to allow individuals to readily identify the tracks as coming from Darzamat. I have to be honest – I had never heard, much less even heard of Darzamat – before picking up “Transkarpatia”. After this album, I know that I will be keeping an ear to the ground about the band in the future. This is a band that could get much bigger if they are given the right push, so pick this album up and be one of those cool kids that had a copy of this album when they are plastered all over mTV a few years from now.

Top Tracks: Blackward, Hallucinations

Rating: 6.3/10

[JMcQ]