Darkwater is a band born in Germany that has made a lot of noise since its first album "Calling the Earth to Witness". It has rushes into the gaping gap left by "Images And Words" or "Scene From A Memory". With a racy music, full of variations, the combo quickly attracted the lights to itself, then these lights declined and went out after a too long absence - almost ten years since "When Stories End".
The music is powerful, the melodies are balms that heal wounds, sorrows and bumps. The album is skillfully, courageously and desperately human; clear, it touches the heart without passing through the brain and mourns the despair of absence... But the light is at the end of the shadow path.
From the very first notes of 'The Journey', the guitars inhabit the introduction and then release powerful acid fumaroles, the chorus and its harmonies are bordering on the sublime. 'Burdens' begins with a thin layer of six strings and a charming and powerful voice. Then the group weaves a tortured symphonic metal full of shimmering melodies that respond to each other - the guitar and synthesizer duets are reminiscent of Symphony X.
Nevertheless the group is free, even if 'A New Beginning' is close to Circus Maximus and his luminous prog'. He wants to stand out from it when a melancholic piano builds a dramatic atmosphere and the voice tears up the silence. 'freedom darling! Alive (Part I)' also embraces this freedom: it is a carefree resting place where the six-stringed and the voice deliver a moment of stray and pure emotion. The second powerful and intense part brings up the images of his clip with its ultimate and equally intense aesthetic. The central riff of this track is catchy, the chorus is melodic and simple, the solitaire guitar is magnificent and technical (sweeping, tapping and speedpicking) and the melodies are reassuring leitmotivs while the crystalline piano and the sweet voice warm up the deadly atmosphere.
'In Front of You' unveils a heavy score where drums and guitar are in opposition, where the choirs invade the space and where the voice weaves a framework of tenuous beauty, on which hangs the ghost of Dream Theater. 'Turning Pages' is heavy, while alternating slow and epic passages into the intensity necessary to magnify its melodies.
Although 'Insomnia' begins with bare arpeggios, it is the tender, sensual and melancholic singing that is put forward. 'Light Of Dawn' brings a mysterious note that leads to a bright aurora borealis. Emotions, pleasure, mystery and hopes are combined on his leaden or more aerial passages. Finally, 'Reflection Of A Mind' is a long epic full of twists and turns that begins with emphatic strings, then provides crystal-clear emotion, softness and a sense of serenity. This is where Darkwater's power lies: to prefer emotion to demonstration, to enhance the human being, supported by his technique.
Between pain and hope, between light and darkness, The band delivers here a diamond that explodes in the depths of darkness and shines beyond the night.