Out of Darkness – Out of Darkness

Out of Darkness
Out of Darkness
Out: 3. February 23^rd, 2024
Playing time: 49:45

Founded in 2020 by former Iced Earth drummer Brent Smedley and singer/guitarist Eric Barrios, Out of Darkness indulge in Classic Heavy Metal. The debut EP “Seize The Day” was released in the same year. The first concerts in their home state of Florida followed. Several video clips were released. “I Surrender” had more than 100,000 views. Guitarist Bill Staley (Artizan, Creaturew of Habit) later joined the band. Bassist Dan Callahan completed the line-up. Work on the self-titled debut album could begin.

Out of Darkness kick off straightforward with “Cosmic Conclusion”. The drums are pounding, and singer Eric Barrios is fully convincing. “Creeper” then starts a little quieter but no less powerful. A nice mid-tempo rocker. Eric delivers some high Metal screams. But shortly afterwards he growls for variety. The riffs fly around your ears. With “Terraform”, the pace picks up again. Once again, the singer shines with high screams. The title track “Out of Darkness” is a great power ballad. The guitarists in particular show off their skills here. Did I say ballad? A high tempo is picked up later. “Prelude To Eternity” is a calm, instrumental interlude in which there is a lot of experimentation with the sounds. “Entity” is characterised by a wavering Hammond. This longest track on the album is in the mid-tempo range and offers an outstanding vocal performance. And huge guitar hooks. “Open Wound” then puts an end to all contemplation. Here it’s almost straight forward in Speed Metal style. Brent Smedley in particular drives the other musicians forward with his drums. “Soul Dreams” takes away some of the previous high tempo. “Breathing Fire” starts with an impressive bass line. Eric Barrios sings with a slightly squeezed voice. This time, the guitars are driving, but without foregoing filigree solos. In “Via Dolorosa”, which begins as a ballad, the bass is also dominant at first. But here, too, the balladlike area is later abandoned. The songs have often started out as ballads, only to slide into the high-speed range later on. The final song “In A Dream” is a real ballad with minimal instrumentation.

Out of Darkness have released a more than convincing debut album. Varied songwriting and very good performances from the musicians make for great listening pleasure. But everything is topped by the outstanding vocal performance of Eric Barrios.

Track list:

• Cosmic Conclusion
• CREEPER
• Terraform
• Out of Darkness
• Prelude to Eternity
• Entity
• Open Wound
• Soul Dreams
• Breathing Fire
• Via Dolorosa
• In A Dream