DARK DESIGN — Prey for the Future (review)

DARK DESIGN — Prey for the Future album cover

Album · 2013 · US Power Metal

5/5 · 2013-10-01
666sharon666

It's been a while since I last wrote a review. I enjoy writing them but finding time in the day can be hard sometimes. For the debut album Prey for the Future by US act Dark Design I decided that it was worth making time to say a few words. There are two reasons for this but the only one that matters is that this is an album worth talking about. The other? Well let's just say that the album has received some criticisms that I think are unfair that I wanted to address.

First off I want to talk about the genre of the album. Dark Design draws on several styles of metal music but the most common elements of their sound are US style power metal and thrash metal, wrapped up in a blanket of progressive and technical touches and an old school sound production. Some may say the sound is raw or low budget and perhaps it is, it doesn't matter because Prey for the Future is one of those albums that would lose some of its charm had it been polished up to modern major label standards and it is very far from having a bad sound. To me the only part that sounds raw is actually the very first metal part of the album. The band starts up with a treble riff in the self-titled song Dark Design and this bit does actually sound like it perhaps belongs more in a black metal act, but fortunately this isn't a trend on Prey for the Future and the song quickly picks up into a great USPM track. People who think this album is raw are clearly spoilt by modern production values and cannot appreciate something that is a bit rough around the edges. If that describes you then seriously, this isn't an album for you.

Dark Design's musicianship is excellent. Although relatively song based with an average track running time of over five minutes, they seem to cram a lot into the songs including technical guitar lines and soft sections. I also like that you can clearly hear the bass and how it is used for effect in the songs to add to the proggy flavour. The guitarists throw in lots of melodic lead playing during the instrumental breaks, with the riffs USPM and thrash metal style alike are heavy and awesome. At times Dark Design remind me a more technical Iced Earth.

Something that is interesting to note is that Dark Design's singer Andrew Bertrand has been involved in metal bands previously, but as a drummer. Well I for one am glad this man came out from behind the kit, as his performance really makes the album complete. By power metal standards this guy isn't ever going to be up to Michael Kiske levels but since the power metal on Prey for the Future is USPM rather than the European version that Kiske's old band Helloween are widely regarded to have started, that hardly matters. His singing is ballsy but not lacking a melodic aspect and is just right for an aggressive power-thrash sound like Dark Design's. At times he also throws in some growls, like in Abiding Contempt.

The songs themselves vary in their directions. Some are dominate on USPM and this is clearly the main genre of the album overall. But you also get tracks like the excellent Dragonmount which is obviously very much a thrash metal song. Then there is also Spice World which is the longest track and I think the also most progressive, featuring an oriental melody. To conclude the album (the physical version anyway) the band round things off with a cover of Dust in the Wind, originally by progressive rock band Kansas, appearing on their 1977 album Point of Know Return. Dark Design are quite a different band to Kansas and their cover is more in keeping with their own style, that is to say, they made a metal song out of it. It's noticeably more catchy than Dark Design's aggressive standards, but they make it work, surprisingly well even.

A brilliant debut album of old school metal, I know that Dark Design and Prey for the Future will be ranking very highly when I make my end of year best of list.

98%

Original post here: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/dark-design-prey-for-the-future-t3206.html