Darkyra – Life Force

Darkyra
Life Force
Label: Battlegod Productions
Out: June 13^th, 2025
Playing time: 47:42

The album (is) a joint venture between Drummer and Producer Garry King (Jeff Beck and Joe Lynn Turner) and Singer / Songwriter, Gina Bafile, (aka Darkyra / Darkyra Black, she also is the new lead singer of Anfitrite).

That’s what the press release says. And ‘Life Force’ is probably already the band’s third release. I thought the vocals of Gina Bafile on the Anfítrite album ‘Clitemnestra’ were excellent. Whether the performance of Darkyra’s instrumentalists can match their vocals remains to be seen.

The title track ‘Life Force’ opens the album. After a few spoken words accompanied by strings, the drums and guitars really kick in. This is followed by a guitar melody. Gina Bafile’s vocals are just as I remember them. A beautiful and, above all, clearly sung soprano. Although the really high pitches are not overused at first. Epic choruses introduce ‘Take Me Far Away’. Then it becomes lively and melodic. During the vocals, it gets a little quieter at first. Riffs are added later. ‘Breathe’ begins a little more relaxed, with clearly played guitars. Gina shows that the slightly deeper tones also suit her very well. A great mid-tempo Rock song. At the beginning of ‘All In Good Time’, industrial keyboard tones can be heard briefly. But we soon move into the melodic-rocking mid-tempo range here too. Keyboards and epic choruses introduce ‘One Foot In The Grave’. Synth sounds come to the fore from time to time on the vocals. A large part of the song is underpinned by keyboard tapestries. At the beginning of ‘Tomorrow Without You’, a brook flows briefly, followed by clean guitars and piano sounds. Gina’s vocals sound seductive. A beautiful ballad in which the tempo picks up slightly towards the end with the guitar solo. ‘Quiet The Mind’ is characterised by hard, yet gentle guitar riffs. Epic choruses are accompanied by strong guitar melodies. ‘Leap Before You Die’ is then harder and at times a little faster. Thanks to the guitars and the powerful punching bass. But the guitar riffs are often in the mid-tempo range again. And of course, the epic choruses are not to be missed here either. A short keyboard solo solo is incorporated in the second part. The penultimate song ‘Tested The Water’ is the bonus track. Powerful, hard riffs accompany the beguiling vocals. And here you can hear what I think best guitar solo of the whole album. The album ends with the eight-and-a-half-minute epic ‘Celebrity Smile’. At first, wind noises and Tapestries of strings create a cosy atmosphere. Strings can also be heard again and again later on. Gina impresses vocally with her dark timbre. Epic chorus and somewhat more rocking vocals form a pleasant contrast. The keyboards sound very intrusive at times but fit well into the musical context. Due to its rich variety, this song is the highlight of the album.

It’s clear that ‘Life Force’ centres around singer and songwriter Gina Bafile. She has truly customised the songs to her liking. Drummer Garry King is also convincing across the board. His drumming is powerful, accentuated and always song orientated. As producer, he has also powerfully staged all the instruments, played by very good musicians. This is a completely different level to ‘Clitemnestra’ (Anfítrite), which was also sung by Gina Bafile!

Darkyra – Life Force Lyric Video: https://youtu.be/RcXfury6qrU?si=efw8iBOcPJcIakqp

Lineup:

Gina Bafile – Lead Vocals, Backup Vocals
Garry King – Drums, Percussion, Loops, Backup Vocals, Extra Keyboards on “Tested The Water”
Lucio Manca – Bass Guitar (Exclude “Take Me Far” and “Celebrity Smile”)
Gus Mansur – Guitars
Fab Jablonski – Keyboard, Piano, Synth
Maaz Manik – Bass Guitar (“Celebrity Smile”, “Take Me Far Away”)
Vinni Bafile – Clean, Drone Guitar (“Quiet The Mind”)
James Michael – Guitars On “Breathe’ and ‘Tested The Water’

Track list:

• Life Force
• Take Me Far Away
• Breathe
• All In Good Time
• One Foot In The Grave
• Tomorrow Without You
• Quiet The Mind
• Leap Before Yo0u Die
• Tested The Water (Bonus track)
• Celebrity Smile