Dark Secret, a heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio, USA, released their debut full-length album, "Mind Pollution". Dark Secret's music is influenced by all the traditional metal genres we grew up with, like Iron Maiden, Slayer, and Pantera. The band consists of Jeff Emilio (vocals), Mark Shea (guitar), Brian Steele (guitar), Al Wojtonek (bass), and "Captain" Lou Barkley (drums).
The album features 9 songs for 45 minutes of music. Nephilic opens the album with a very atmospheric intro before the fury (the drumming is amazing!). It's a perfect opener with great riffing and sets the mood for the rest of the album. The title track follows, with tight guitars and catchy vocals reminding me of some old Annihilator, a great old-style trash song, definitely one of my favourite of the album, with a fantastic solo section too. Chronicles of Sarah is about The band "mascot", "Secret Sarah'. She embodies the "Good vs. Evil" concept, and the entire album is loosely based on this internal struggle. I love the different moods of the song, with easy listening parts and other more aggressive, with a great finale.
I really like the contagious mood and pace of Patriarchs of Science and Dirty War heavy but heavy listening at the same time, with some maiden contaminations in the guitar parts (the melodic break of the second one is fantastic). I love the drumming (what a sound too) at the beginning of Seal the Deal, the guitars in the first part of Love Runs Deep, the riffing, the super tight rhythm section (and the backing vocals) of If, one of my favourite songs on the album, which closes with Silence, starting with melodic solos (early Maiden influence!) and with a slower pace, reminding me of Judas Priest in the heavy choruses. Another great tune and a good closing track.
This is a very good album, amazingly performed by the band and with a perfect production for the genre. If you are into melodic thrash metal (I would say Annihilator), you will like "Mind Pollution", definitely a quality release from every point of view and with every piece of the puzzle in the right place. Give it a go by clicking on the Spotify player below and remember to follow Dark Secret on social media.
This is a very good album, amazingly performed by the band and with a perfect production for the genre. If you are into melodic thrash metal (I would say Annihilator), you will like "Mind Pollution", definitely a quality release from every point of view and with every piece of the puzzle in the right place. Give it a go by clicking on the Spotify player below and remember to follow Dark Secret on social media.