Album Review: Darker Days - The Burying Point
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
When you’re coming from Salem, Massachusetts you cannot help but carry some of that area’s history with you, be that in your religious outlook or, if you’re a creator, the very land itself would act as an inspiration.
New England has already inspired the likes of Nathaniel Hawthorne, HP Lovecraft and Stephen King to weave dark tales and, more contemporaneously, Rob Zombie mightn’t be quite who he is without that North-Eastern heritage. Darker Days, then, are in good company as they peel back the lid of their home and see what inspiration they can find.
The Burying Point is the band’s debut album and I was a little disappointed when first hearing the opening trio of tracks. Not – and I want to make this quite clear – that there’s anything wrong with Devil’s Night, Killing Time or The Hunt; they all arrive filled with fast and furious Pop-Punk energy and driving rhythms and the unmistakable positivity of the sub-genre. It’s just that I was hoping for something with a bit more substance and, luckily, The Burying Point starts to deliver that from 1818 onwards.
The jangling of chains and the eerie, ominous feel of 1818 plays more into the aligning of Darker Days with bands like Misfits as they serve up a bleaker and more oppressive sound. Nick Sullivan and Travis Hunter’s guitar work is fatter and more defined from here on, with Mason Eaton’s vocals following suit. Siren’s Call introduces an emo vibe to the to the track, Eaton’s vocals soar as drummer Randy Mason replicates the nautical theme with the evocation of lapping waves.
The second half of The Burying Point picks up these ideas and incorporates them into a darker, more mature sound. Both From the Depths and Maniac are driven by more adult ideas; Moonlight plays with the tempo, switching up the pacing and vocal effects to show the band are not afraid to experiment. Empty Glass deals lyrically with dependency and its effect on other people and that is reflected in the combination of fragile piano and hard edged guitar.
Darker Days did not forego the Pop-Punk with The Hunt, but rather revisit that sound on Funeral and closing track, Curse. By this point, we’ve experienced some of the more melancholic moments of The Burying Point and the respite is a welcome distraction.
Blitzkid’s TB Monstrosity and Rod Usher from The Other lend their vocal talents to the endeavour, contributing to what is a sterling debut effort. Subsequent listens meant my expectations were tempered and the opening threesome were less a disappointment and more of an entree to a richer main course.
