Forget Me Not

That's right, Dark Lunacy is not only one of the most positive bands to emerge from Europe, but one of the more positive bands to surface in recent years.

With all the talk around bands such as In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Hypocrisy, and the plethura of Melodeath bands, one fails to mention Dark Lunacy. This is quite the anomaly because for the sheer uniqueness of the band. Them being unique does not compramize the song writing ability. In fact it allows the limits of the genre to be tested. It's been done before yes, but never to the extent, perfection, greatness, and emotion that Dark Lunacy brings you.

So much emotion is poured into this cd. It's not about being brutal, which it is. It's not about being cheesey with keys, which it is not. It's not about using cliche after cliche that plagues the genre, which it does not. This is a fresh look at a fading genre. Mulitple string sections, Organs, piano, various woodwinds, hell, this could be an orchestra. be it a very bleak, depressing and brutal orchestra but they could pull it off. Every instrument is played to perfection and seamlessly blend together to bring you a pouring of emotion. This is what music was intended to sound like. Pure, heartfilled emotion. Not only that, but its death metal, bringing this hybrid mix of beauty and absolute brute sound that is death metal. Bands like Dimmu Borgir try this sound with some success. And Im sure this is the sound they were trying to achieve. Nothing feels forced here. The instrumentations intertwine and never conflict.

Fact is this band can compose music. They don't sit in the basement and write riff after riff. It's obvious they take thier time to perfect whatever message they are trying to convey. The songs on this bleed brilliant composing. It's not often you get a band that performs metal combine 4+ instruments, including vocals. From what Ive picked apart there are 12 different instruments/vocal techniques. Best thing about it, not one keyboard used in the entire album.

Words cannot do this album or this band justice. The must listens if you had to hear two song to truly get a feel for this album are Through the Non-Time, and Fiamm.

Through the Non-time is the shortest track on here (minus the intro and balladessque time song) but makes it point. From the opening riff you will feel the energy of this song flow. The bass in the back looming, than a crushing yell comes in. Violins playing ever so softly to the brutish music in the foreground, it's fantastic. Once the vocals start th e violin takes a bow out for a while until the chorus. Once the chorus hits you hear more violin and the backup vocals chanting in the backround. After another verse and chorus it changes tempo and builds up until at the 3:14 mark the guitars kick in to provide a stellar solo the just seems to make this song even more melancholy. But that's not it! At 4:09 the song takes one last turn blooming back into the chorus after the music calmed following the solo. The 5 minutes of this song carries along a lot faster than one would anticipate.

Fiamm, no amount of words can describe how epic and perfect this track is. It starts out with appears to be an Oboe or Claranet. Something straight out of a war movie, the ravaged city after days of fighting. The smoke and rubble settling. Soldiers emerging. Than BOOM right back to war. It's a picture they paint with sound, not to mention through all the brute created by the metal aspect of Dark Lunacy. They create a depressing melody through the use of orchestral instruments in this song. In a couple of passages the lead guitar is the instrument producing such a sad, melancholy riff. Simply amazing. The addition of female vocals sets the mood even more in a tasteful way. Tempo changes, spoken growls, orchestras, different vocals, different guitars, the brutality of Death Metal, beautiful melody, sad melodies, I could go on, but you get the point, all this wrapped up into one song.

This cd and band should, and have to be heard. This is music in what some could consider it's purist form. Deep rooted human emotion, embedded into an orchestration of metal and symphony. If you like to pick apart songs and listen for every subtle sound a band includes to get thier point across, and love a well composed album, Forgot me Not is not a miss.