On Darker Trails

Burden of Grief is back with On Darker Trails, which is their second album. After Haunting Requiems, which has received good press reviews, we were in an hurry to see (to hear :-) ) if the band was able to reproduce again quality, without falling in the "repeat" section. This band found his beginning in 1994 and had to wait until 1996 to see their first demo A Duet Of Thoughts finally appeared, followed a year later by a second demo-MCD called Above Twilight Wings. But their demo Eternal Solar Eclipse, mainly used for promotion purpose was their ticket to recognition. This band, who finds his power in the merging of traditional metal-riffs in the vein of Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer and of course the Swedish death metal bands (melodic death metal is a Swedish invention), delivers very catchy, fast, hard and melodic songs. The production is ok, even though the sound is bit trapped inside and I don't like this "filter" in front of the sound. The song-writting confirms the maturity of the band. They are not afraid to walk new grounds, they are not afraid to "test" their ideas. On the other hand, as it sounds like melodic death metal, each song reminds you In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork or Suidakra and even though the guitars riffs are damned fast, Iron Maiden or Slayer have written these riffs a long time ago. At the end, On Darker Trails reminds me very much Iron Maiden ... but the vocals of Mike Huhmann make you think it is different.