Sadly, it's gotten to the point with me that I almost dread reviewing some melodic death metal releases these days. There only so much you can say about the multitude of bands that come out of the woodwork trying to replicate the Gothenburg style of an At the Gates, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Edge of Sanity, or Soilwork, so when something like Near Death Experience from Darkness By Oath comes across my desk, it can be a real struggle to explain just how this band differs from all the rest.
In all honesty, Darkness By Oath are good at what they do. The Swedes deliver plenty of churning, razor shop riffs and lots of tasty guitar harmonies, and the vocals are gravelly and straight out of the same school that delivered all those classics by the bands mentioned above more than 15 years ago. The problem is, there's nothing overly memorable here, and you just get the feeling that you've already heard this sort of thing too many times before, and better. It's competent melodic death metal, but strictly by the books, so for those who can't get enough of this sort of thing, by all means drink up, but if you are looking for originality in your death metal, you might want to take a pass.
Track Listing
01. Into The Gloom...
02. In An Obscure Eternity
03. Viole(n)t Intentions
04. N.D.E.
05. A Cry Of Terror (Voices From Nowhere)
06. Holloworld
07. Steams Of Blood
08. Unequivocal Evil Excitement
09. Fallen Angel Of Death
10. Last Emotion
11. Terror In Thousand Faces
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