Band: Dark Suns
Title: Grave Human Genuine
Label: Prophecy Records
Distribution: Suburban
Release date: 22/02/2008
Review: CD

If music can be compared to a mosaic, Dark Suns will be part of the definition. Grave Human Genuine is the third full length, and like many other releases on Prophecy, this one is a bizarre and avant-garde approach of Metal. What’s more, Dark Suns stand for more than just ‘Metal’. As from the first song on, called Stampede, the combination of several musical styles does prove why this formation can’t be put into just one genre. On the one hand you can detect an obvious influence of Opeth: slightly progressive, open-minded structures with a firm and powerful extreme Metal-feeling, including the grunts, heavy guitar riffs and well-thought compositions. At the other, nevertheless, there are also influences from diverse styles, such as Oriental, Doom Metal, Ambient, New Age, Dark Metal, Techno and Folk. Empyrium, Katatonia, Ulver, Pain Of Salvation, In The Woods …, Alcest, Arcturus or Flowing Tears, it’s just a possible direction for what Dark Suns stand for. The long, poly-rhythmic  hymns, having duration between three and ten minutes (with a total running time of almost an hour), do combine a sinister darkness (‘grave’), a certain soul-depth (‘human’) and, absolutely, a musical authenticity, a pretty refreshing approach (‘genuine’), and that’s why this album’s title is so ‘to the point’. From floating to harsh, from introvert to eccentric, from psychological to psychopathic, every single track is an epic piece of sardonic yet majestic, magisterial open-mindedness. Oh yes, the bass parts are played by ex-Pain Of salvation’s Kristoffer Gildenlöw.

80/100

Ivan Tibos.