Release date: 9th February 2018
Dark Days, the new release from Mancunian five-piece The Dead XIII, is somewhat difficult to get excited about. As a person who enjoys metal with a bit more of an electronic edge, I felt almost certain I was going to connect with this but sadly I just wasn’t able to.
When it comes to Dark Days, the songs just don’t really stand out. Ideas tend to merge together, and there isn’t much variation from one track to the next. The synth lines feel like they’re tacked onto the music, which is a shame – a well-placed synth line can give a song a whole new spin and vibe. Additionally the vocals are a little lacking; they’re somewhat monotonic and they sound a little lacking in emotiveness as a result.
Hopefully it’s just me, but as a whole, Dark Days just feels a little disappointing. It’s not inherently bad, but it just feels like there should be more to it than there is. However, the music does feel like it would translate well in a live environment, so I definitely intend to catch them live at some point and hopefully my opinion on them will change after that!
5/10
