Dark Waters are a relatively new band hailing from Portugal, emerging quickly from the ranks upon reaching the Hard Rock Rising contest in 2013. The band is a five piece consisting of a group of hard working musicians all aiming towards the same goal. Their core sound is traditional heavy metal and the group have just completed their debut disc – “Golden Age of Decadence”.
The album is made up of seven tracks of competent metal, exhibiting some innovation and striving to push the melodic heaviness. The opening number “Osiris” is a strong candidate to be put in this position with the pounding groove kicking into high gear. The tone is set right away and it leads nicely into “As We Become One” with the Iron Maiden styled harmonies dominating this track. My favorite number is “Pure Hate” which roars into life with chugging guitars and domineering sound, often reminding me of Youthanasia era Megadeth. In fact vocalist Sergio Lucas seems to be cut from the same cloth as Dave Mustaine, coming across in those low register howls and really adding some bite to the sound.
The remaining tracks continue that steady chug of the guitars, but on the song “Science of Things” a jazzy undertone is slightly detected. It certainly adds to the histrionics of the number, but the band pushes hard with “Rock it While you Can” and close out the album with the doom laden “Forsaken”. I highly enjoyed the last few tracks just based on the strength of guitarist Diogo Cardao’s prolific playing. His stellar riffing shines through and it carries the heaviness these tracks provide the listener.
Dark Waters is a competent band for the style they pursue, often reminding me of mid-career Megadeth and slight hints to bands like Queensryche and Iron Maiden. You won’t find a bad track on this release, and most often the songs are thought provoking and distinct enough to captivate the listener’s attention. This is definitely worth looking into.
Kenneth Gallant, HMS
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