Somewhat confusingly there are two thrash bands called Darkness hailing from Germany, but this is the one from Essen who were formed back in the Eighties. Celebrating their 40th anniversary they have here re-recorded songs from their debut ‘Death Squad’ (1987) and its successor ‘Defenders of Justice’ (1988), a track from ‘Conclusion & Revival’ (1989), as well as long-lost demo material. There are a few new songs, plus a cover of one they originally recorded when they had changed their name to Eure Erben (2004-2012). Only Lacky (drums) and Arnd (guitars) are still here from the debut, with the rest of the band having been involved for ten years or less.
This is straightforward thrash which is fine while it is playing but is then instantly forgettable. It is not that it is awful, just that there is nothing for the listener to really grab onto, with the snare drum too high in the mix, and not enough going on in the rhythm section to really drive the rest of the band forward. I am sure they are fine as a support band to someone like Kreator or Sodom, but I cannot see them doing much more than that, as while metalheads like me will smile and gently nod along to this, I cannot see me ever playing it again out of choice. Mind you, their debut is highly rated on Encyclopaedia Metallum, so what do I know?
Rating: 6/10
Links:
http://www.darkness-thrash.de/
https://massacre-records.com/