Review by LivingForMetal.com (USA)

With a style that takes elements from both black and death metal, Signs of Darkness create what they like to call post black metal. I suppose I agree, although I think their latest album The 17th Floor drifts more towards traditional black metal with melody than death metal. Whatever. It’s all metal in the end. There are not too many moments were Signs of Darkness play at a reserved pace – The 17th Floor is pretty wild and reckless and fast paced overall.

The album is filled with the expected raspy, gravelly and somewhat deep vocals found everywhere in black metal. I found the vocals to be less than dynamic. Singer Joris Meeuwissen stays pretty monotone throughout the album aside from his occasional attempt at a more evil sounding semi-scream at the end of some lines. The drumming is pretty typical as well, with an assortment of solid yet unimaginative fills, blasts and rhythms. Oh, there are some nicely done double bass, like on the song Portraits, but it is not enough to make the overall song sound all that interesting. I found that there are too many instances where I felt drummer Ruud Gysen went for the blast beat because he could do it, not because it fit with the song (She Calls Me a New Aged Nomad), although the double bass displayed throughout that song is quite good. Guitars consist mostly of unspectacular riffs and half-hearted solo’s and unfortunately nothing really jumps out and demands attention. The intent of guitarists Jeroen and Wouter Winters must have been to create a mood or feeling rather than to show the world what kind of wicked solo’s they can play. Fair enough – not every guitar player is Steve Vai. But because they shy away from the spectacular it all becomes sadly predictable.

The production on The 17th Floor is a little on the rough side. There seems to be some modernization to the traditional black metal approach to production. It has somewhat of a raw feel but is still fairly crisp. The drum sound, on the other hand, needs work. It sounds fake and manufactured.

I have to admit I began listening to this CD expecting to feel a chill down my spine, considering the type of music Signs of Darkness play. Well, I have come away more than a little disappointed. This is not a bad effort. I do not cringe when I listen to it, nor do I feel as though I just wasted my time; however it is an attempt at extreme metal that falls a little short. If you are looking for a black metal fix there are better albums of this style available. Just look to the big names of the genre, Mayhem, Burzum, Bathory, etc., instead.



Review by VooDoo.

7/10.