DARK MILLENNIUM — Acid River (review)

DARK MILLENNIUM — Acid River album cover

Album · 2022 · Progressive Metal

4/5 · 2022-03-03
siLLy puPPy

DARK MILLENNIUM is famous in death doom metal circles for its unique stylistic approach that featured characteristics of old school death metal, traditional doom metal, moments of death’n’roll and a touch of progressive quirkiness which made them one of Germany’s most memorable bands of the early 1990s. The band originally formed in 1989 Bad Fredeburg and released a couple EPs and two albums before taking a hiatus which led to a disbanding. The band’s debut full-length “Ashore The Celestial Burden” is a death doom classic for its innovative mix of classic 80s NWOBHM, death metal, doom metal and progressive rock. Two albums clearly wasn’t enough and the band reformed in 2016 and seems to be back for good.

With an original four year run, DARK MILLENNIUM has now lasted six years thus outlasting its original existence. ACID RIVER is the band’s latest effort and features founding members Michael Burmann (guitars), Hilton Theissen (guitars, vocals, keyboards) and vocalist Christian Mertens. The newer members include bassist Gerold Kulenz who has been with the band since the 2016 comeback album “Midnight In The Void” and drummer Andre Schaltenberg who joined on for the band’s last release “Where Oceans Collide” which came out four years ago in 2018. The band has always been known for its highly unusual experimental approaches in the world of death doom metal and luckily none of that quirky charm has dissipated one iota after all these years.

ACID RIVER is a throwback to the early 90s when the world of death metal and death doom metal were a free for all and bands were experimenting in myriad directions. So intent was DARK MILLENNIUM to retain their classic era sound that the members opted to record using their original guitars, amps and drums with all recording done on analog. The number 7 is the name of the game here. There are seven tracks which are each around seven minutes long and harken back to the band’s classic era that led to two albums before a long hiatus. The band has perfectly retained all the idiosyncratic charm of off-kilter guitar riffs that alternate between energetic death’n’roll and old school death metal to oozing doom dread. What sets this album apart from what came before is the heightened use of keyboards which add a psychedelic element more in the vein of contemporary bands like Hail Spirit Noir.

Still on board are the unique vocal extremities of Christian Mertens who has that same sort of Ronnie James Dio of death metal approach that sounds a lot like Death’s Chuck Schuldiner. ACID RIVER is therefore a mix of classic DARK MILLENNIUM with a bit more emphasis on the psychedelic metal scene that mixes the catchy death’n’roll grooves with syncopated keyboard stabs and icy atmospheres. Tracks like “Vessel” add a bit of Middle Eastern musical charm to its viscous rampage and even though the band has never been the heaviest in terms of brash guitar bombast and rampaging speed, the band excels at the many curve balls it throws in terms of taking you to a place you weren’t expected. These progressive touches are very organic though and never feel forced. This band delivers a very exotic and eccentric musical style that doesn’t quite sound like death metal, doom metal or any other genre exactly.

As far as capturing the spirit of the band’s original run, DARK MILLENNIUM passes with flying colors. ACID RIVER is more than a worthy edition to the band’s woefully short list of releases but i’m thrilled that this band has resurrected its undeniably unique style because the slow creeping grooves accentuated by faster passages and the brilliance of Mertens’ creepy vocal style deliver the perfect recipe of classic metal madness that made the early 90s so memorable. Unlike many death metal bands that are all about playing as fast and loud as possible DARK MILLENNIUM displays an interesting array of dynamics and focuses on minor chord melodic constructs that are both pleasing and creepy at the same time. All in all ACID RIVER is a strong addition to the DM canon and one that i will be returning to often.