And The Sky Darkened – ‘Between Ghosts’ (Self-Released)

By DJ Monk

Hailing from the ever febrile breeding ground of Über Rock’s original homeland, south Wales, And The Sky Darkened have taken almost three and a half years to deliver us of their second recorded offering, this nifty little four-track EP – the first to feature their now solidified line-up.

Lying somewhere between the ambition of groove metal and the anxiousness of metalcore, the quartet have produced a cohesive yet expansive set of tunes, taut and precise yet free-flowing and effervescent in the energy they contain, and in turn unleash. Each of the four songs is beautifully and thoughtfully crafted, with little left to chance in terms of attention to detail, but at the same time possessed of an organic vibrancy that is both infectious and difficult to remove from your aural cortexes once they have wormed their way in there.

If I had to draw comparisons, one name which comes quickly to mind is Trivium, especially in terms of Ryan Lewis’ extremely impressive and powerful vocal performance, as exemplified on opener (and current single) ‘Burden Hardest To Bear’ and its precursor in the latter department, ‘The Darkened Await’. The epic closing title track shows a completely different side to the band’s character, veering almost into alt-rock territory with its haunting melancholy, which is a clear demonstration that ATSD can tug at every emotion.

‘Between Ghosts’ is a reinforced concrete solid offering, with narry a chink in its armour. Each of the musicians delivers an exemplary performance and, as I said, the songs are superbly crafted, with the right balances of light and shade, aggression and melody, to appeal to even the most disdainful of critics. As a declaration of intent, it is defiant and impressive, and fully deserves to help take its creators to the next level in their ambitions.

‘Between Ghosts’ is released tomorrow (Friday 8 May). You can get your copy, and other ATSD goodies, HERE.

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