Album Review: Darkwater - Human

Time waits for no man, at least that's what they say. Darkwater is a name I remember from my nascent days typing up thoughts about music. They were new on the progressive metal scene, and had released a debut album, "Calling The Earth To Witness", that I enjoyed. They followed that up shortly with "Where Stories End", which was a more fitting title than they had envisioned, because that was the last we had heard from them, until now. While Seventh Wonder and Vanden Plas were earning plaudits, while Haken was growing ever larger, and while Dream Theater stumbled so badly they left a crater in the genre, Darkwater was silent. And if we're being honest here, I had almost forgotten about them when news of this album broke.

I make no secret that the traditional form of prog metal (that sounds weird, right?) often fails to capture my interest. There is absolutely a formula to the genre, and it's one that puts an emphasis on the aspects of songwriting I find the least important. Darkwater, though, is one of the bands that puts their focus on melodies and hooks right at the forefront. They can be musically challenging, and they can stretch on with lengthy songs, but they make sure to ground things with a layer of accessibility.

That was illustrated by the first single from the record, "Alive (Part II)", which spans seven-and-a-half minutes of twisting guitar lines, and circles around to a bouncing chorus that begs to be sung along with. It's the kind of music prog metal often isn't; deep but also attractive on first blush, hevy and intricate but also thrilling and fun. It's a difficult task to make a seventy-eight minute record, where the only track shorter than six-and-a-half minutes is the short segue "Alive (Part I)", accessible to people who aren't already hardcore prog fans. Darkwater delivers us a lot of music, in long chunks, and it demands a lot of attention to absorb the entirety of the record at once.

In many ways, "Human" is a similar album to Seventh Wonder's "Tiara" from last year. They are both highly melodic prog metal bands coming back after a lengthy absence. The main difference is where expectations were set. Seventh Wonder had just released two amazing albums, and in the meantime Tommy Karevik had become a big name in the melodic metal world. Everyone was expecting a stunning album, so when we got one that was simply good to very good, it was a disappointment. Darkwater doesn't carry those expectations, so even though you could argue they have just made another Darkwater album, it feels more welcome.

When the band is more focused, the results are great. "Alive (Part II)" is easily the best song here, but "Insomnia" is similar in how it blends progressive music with a great hook (one that actually sounds a lot like Seventh Wonder). That's the sound I remember liking so much on their debut, and it works better to my ears than when they run-on for nearly eleven minutes for "Reflection Of A Mind". That track has so many ideas thrown in that it wanders away from the point a bit too long, and when it does come back the nature of the music doesn't allow the hook to stick as sharply. "Burdens" is great, and it's already eight-and-a-half minutes long. Adding two more minutes of instrumental passages wouldn't make it a better song in any way. To my ears, doing so would only dilute the effect.

So once we spend our time digesting "Human", here's where we stand; Darkwater is an impressive prog metal band, and they have made an album that does what the genre needs more of. "Human" shows you can make a complex album that doesn't require a music degree to enjoy, and prog metal doesn't have to be only for the initiated. That said, it's still a difficult album that will require your effort. If you give it, you're rewarded with a very strong record that will make up for some recent disappointments.