Darkseed are the veterans of gothic electro metal with eight albums under their belt. 'Ultimate Darkness' is their latest effort. One of the distinctive features of Darkseed's music is the voice of Stefan Hertrich, which is a bit similar to Piet Sielck's (Iron Savior). Hertrich has the same edge as Sielck on his voice.

Darkseed plays a mixture of gothic metal and industrial metal with strong electro influences. The first album I ever heard from Darkseed was 'Diving into Darkness' (2000), and that album is still my favourite among Darkseed's releases. Albums released after 'Diving into Darkness' just don't seem to bear comparison with DID, which had overall better quality of songs (this is also the case with 'Ultimate Darkness'). However, the material on 'Ultimate Darkness' seems to improve towards the end of the record. Nevertheless, partly the material on this album is undistinguished.

Production on this album is quite good. Nonetheless, the sounds could be stronger and even heavier. In addition, cymbals need a bit more clarity. Otherwise, the mix is good.

Ultimate Darkness is pretty much what one may expect from Darkseed. Although it doesn't surpass my expectations, it isn't an incompetent album.

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- MAGE (March 8th, 2005)

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LINE-UP:
Hertrich, Stefan: Vocals, Electronics Herrmann, Thomas: Guitars Gilcher, Tom: Guitars Motnik, Martin: Bass Dörfler, Armin: Keyboards Guolo, Maurizio: Drums
Producer:	Unavailable
Mixing by:	Unavailable
Mastering by:	Unavailable

	TRACKLIST:
	01. Disbeliever 02. My Burden 03. Ultimate Darkness 04. Biting Cold 05. The Dark One 06. Save Me 07. Speak Silence 08. Next to Nothing 09. Follow Me 10. The Fall 11. Endless Night 12. Sleep Sleep Sweetheart Length: 48:52