'My Only Shelter'
Darkhaus are a truly
international band. Featuring members from Scotland, the USA, Germany
and Austria whose CVs include the likes of Eisbrecher and Pro-Pain,
they have an eye on world-wide exposure and being signed to the
respected SPV records, this is an ambition well within their grasps.
Their synth rock formula is half based in the darker textures of
Depeche Mode, while their rock aspirations are rooted in the
romantic-rock blueprint of HIM.
There are flirtations
with dance-metal on tracks such as 'Grace Divine', 'Our Time', 'Hour
Of Need', and Angelina. While the likes of 'Life Worth Living',
'Ghost', 'Don't Close Your Eyes' and 'Son Of A Gun' focus on a more
pop-rock manifesto. Though the overblown ballad 'Apostle' and diet
Disturbed groove of 'Hurts Like Hell' break things up a bit, they
don't really change the fact this is an album that is either black or
white. In fact the most interesting and original tracks to be found
are the excellent remixes from Eisbrecher and Kinky J, which play up
the somewhat muted electronic elements.
The production is
nicely executed, but as demonstrated by the remixes, the electronic
side of the bands sound is woefully subdued for the bulk of the main
track list. Their rock/metal pedigree is beyond questioning, and the
execution of the performances are faultless. However there is very
little to set them apart from a myriad of other bands around today.
'My Only Shelter' is a
solid album. It's consistent, the song writing is strong, and
vocalist Kenny Hanlon displays an impressive range throughout. But
even taking all of this into account there is something about
Darkhaus that doesn't quite hit the mark. There are a lot of bands
with a similar sound around at the moment, and Darkhaus are a good
example. Yet with 'My Only Shelter' they don't quite offer anything
different to set them apart.