Darkane

Expanding Senses (Nuclear Blast)
by Martin Popoff

Sounding more like new Destruction, Kreator, Testament, or Terror 2000 (axeman Klas Ideberg hangs there, as well as here), Expanding Senses censors much of the progressive Swedish death complication of Insanity for a blazing, super-high-fidelity attack of post-Bay Area thrash, miles smarter than the elder gods, but not as smarmy as Soilwork and In Flames.

But speaking of those buzzers, melodic moments with clean Fear Factory-like singing do wedge their way into these near impermeable tracks (standout pre-chorus and chorus: “Violence From Within”), but never with Anders-stark eccentricity, Daniel Bergstrand’s mix making sure everything is artfully creamed to create thick, unified, logical songs. Drummer Peter Wildoer is integrated more fully into things as well, the man stealing the show last time out, this time whacking away as an equal with state-of-the-art vocalist Andreas Sydow and the rest of these sterling and scientific thrash addicts.
(2323 W. El Segundo Blvd. Hawthorne, CA 90250)