Darker Than

Reviews

Darker Than It’s Your Funeral CD

I think there is a motorcycle that starts this off. Ya know that side of the BLATZ/TRIBE 8 split 7” with that amazing BLATZ song? Well, that is what this reminds me of. Lots of thoughtful lyrics that singer Hanna delivers clearly, backed up by one of the dudes in the band (backing vocals not listed). As this goes on, there are driving portions that are reminiscent of ARCTIC FLOWERS and SIGNAL LOST. This is their second EP. What I’m going to say now might be a little controversial, but here goes: DARKER THAN is doing this the right way. Allow me a minute of your reading time. MRR fucked up in the mid-’90s when they stopped reviewing demo tapes. That single move gave birth to a million bands that would have been given a shitty review and never committed themselves to vinyl, and now, well, look around at all the dollar bin records we don’t buy. DARKER THAN has two cassette EPs and a CD, all while taking the time to figure out who they are as a band. The lyrics “I wish my mom was an anarchist” on the seventh track show DARKER THAN’s playful quality while trying to take on big topics in two minutes. This is available on cassette, too.

Darker Than Through the Cracks cassette

Baltimore, MD horror-based punk. Seven slickly-recorded, driving rock songs with the subject matter of all things spooky. It’s all very well done, I just can’t help but wish the recording was a little scarier-sounding if the band is going to be entirely horror-themed. I think I feel the same way about a lot of goth music too, though, so it may just be a personal preference for nastier recordings fitting of the style and theme of the bands that release them.