Revolution of Darkness combine electronica, metal and goth pop-rock and inject some folk elements every now and then. Now, on paper, this sounds like something that could be really, really good, and, in a way it is, although there are some aspects to the album that will probably never reconcile with my musical tastes.
The most prominent electronica element is the use of programmed drum beats, which have a certain retro feel to them (they remind me of some of the stuff from the underground techno scene of the 90s that a classmate of mine listened a lot to back in school). On top of that, Revolution of Darkness make use of various synth effect - some of which sound really awesome, while others sound a bit too plasticy for my taste. The metal aspect has the form of distorted guitars which, unfortunately, are weaker in the mix than the electronica elements - I say "unfortunately" because some of the riffs are pretty cool, while the more power chord-based parts generate a certain breadth and bottom to the overall sound. So, the metal element is not really that dominant, and - and this might turn off a lot of metalheads - the primary type of metal featured on the album is mostly akin to the more pop-oriented nu metal out there (while I like the quality of vocalist Maskara's voice, I must admit that many of the vocal lines are much too poppy for my tastes). The gothic pop-rock aspect lies in the overall atmosphere of the album - a dark atmosphere in part generated by piano effect and ambient drone notes and in part by the guitar riffage.
Despite the pop elements that just don't sit well with me, I acknowledge that this is an expressive album, and I think that there might be a lot of fans of melodic modern metal (although the style is very different) out there who might like this album. I do think that the incorporation of folk elements works incredibly well in generating a somewhat original sound.
Track listing:
1. Two Fifty to Vigo
2. The Decadence of Murder
3. Stalingrad
4. Within
5. Ruins
6. Maria, A Violent Message of Love
7. The Ballad of the Queen of Hearts
8. Saint
9. Anarchist
10. Charlotte
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