7th January 2023

Review: “The Anatomy of Violence” by Darkmatter

Returning to the tried, tested and proven Perth, Western Australian Nu-Metalcore quartet Darkmatter have chosen to have the pairing of producer and engineer Cody Brooks (Dealer, Iconoclast, Daybreak) and mixing and mastering legend Lance Prenc (Void Of Vision, Alpha Wolf, Polaris) collaborate with them on their sophomore EP “The Anatomy of Violence“. Statistics rarely lie and in excess of 350k of combined YouTube and Spotify streams February 2022’s well received debut EP “Project Darkmatter” confirm the prior success of that collaboration as have shows with heavy hitters like Alpha Wolf, Fit for a King and Make Them Suffer in the interim period, to name but a few…

If you’re a fan of the Nu-Metalcore sound augmented by electronics which Northlane brought to the table with “Alien” combined with what Dealer slapped us with in their short life span then Darkmatter are a band that you need to inject yourself with because they’ve been soaked in it. Blistering heavy riffs with barked vocals transition into 90’s breakbeats and dark melancholic melodies for opening cut “Bladerunner“, the dull ache of the clean vocals all too familiar before the brutal breakdown passage severs flesh from bone with a pit inducing 45 second burst of pure violence. The band have distilled what they created for “Project Darkmatter“, firing it in the furnace at the heart of Valhalla to give us something fresh that is pristine and razor sharp with quality over quantity being the objective. The slow groove of “Overdose” is almost hypnotic, offering up Trap Metal leanings with a spoken word rap flow that transitions into the melancholic cleans with the kind of style, grace and polish not usually witnessed from a collection of musicians this early in their creative careers. It feels almost cyber punk inspired and offers a glimpse into the kind of territory that Spoiler or Majin may find themselves in as they follow a similar path into Alice’s Wonderland as Darkmatter. The sheer power of “Claustrophobia” should not be underestimated, another sub three minute incendiary burst of aggression that offers a cathartic release from the pressures of modern life. Momentary lulls in the guitar work allow electronics and spoken word moments to bleed through the bandages before the sucker punch of the guitars slap back hard with staccato riffs as heavy and intense as they come. Darkmatter continue to be of growing concern to those who have heard them, straight jackets have been requested for them because this is utterly insane… [8.5/10]

Track Listing