Dark Age - A Matter Of Trust (CD Review)

01.Nero
02.Afterlife
03.Out Of Time
04.Fight!
05.Don't Let The Devil Get Me
06.My Saviour
07.Glory
08.The Great Escape
09.The Locked In Syndrome
10.Dark Sign
11.Onwards!

Eike Freese (Vocals/Guitar)
Jörn Schubert (Guitar)
Alex Henke (Bass)
Martin Reichert (keyboards)
André Schumann (Drums)

DARK AGE present their seventh studio album. The five-piece from
Hamburg devotes themselves to Metal for 18 years now - but always seeing
the bigger picture.
In 2008 Metal Hammer Germany already approved that DARK AGE "are playing
the most modern Metal you can find these days - at least in Germany". Now
the five bandmates are taking this quote to higher level: The new record "A
Matter Of Trust" is pumping out of the speakers in the typical DARK AGE sound with hard drums, shredding guitar riffs and electronic elements. What is new, on the other hand is, that the main focus is on the song itself and its
hook line rather than on the riff - a development that started with "ACEDIA" in
2009.
"As an artist it is important for us to improve ourselves further. Music is motion
and inspiration" - states frontman Eike Freese. He continues: "After we started
working on the new album we realized that we are not able to tell
anything new to our fans with the traditional DARK AGE-ingredients anymore.
We told all the stories in the traditional Metalway." Eike explains: "In the songwriting process we realized: The more we allowed new influences, the easier it was for us to explore new avenues and to express ourselves." The long-lasting friendship, the confidence in each other and the mutual ability enabled this loophole. Furthermore: The more the band opened up to different ideas the more a central theme showed up: To focus on the song and not the technical ability.
What played into the bands hands was that there was no pressure of
time during the songwriting and recording process: The material came to
maturity and the band could try out different things over two years, as in
Freese's own "Hammer Studios" was always a gap to write and record. This is
why some of the songs just developed during the recording sessions, e.g. the
first single "Afterlife".

I can only assume that a band who quote "are playing the most modern metal" actually translates as "are playing fairly average melodic post industrial rock", yes sure its heavy in places but way too melodic and ear friendly to be what you would expect from German Metal.

Personally not much here to enthuse me, first song 'Nero' was good but after that all a bit "meh", sorry guys not for me.

Rating 5/10

For Fans Of : Rammstein, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Killing Joke