Darkest Color – Deal With Pain

According to the founder Thomas Trampouras Darkest Color has been around since the late 80s but has had no actual material released as he left to join Flames in 1990 when the band broke up. Songs that were performed back then were never recorded, with the exception of 'Sea Of Blood' and 'Jesus Christ' which ended up on the Flames album 'Nomen Illi Mors' that was released in 1991, and hence never released. Both Darkest Color and Flames have been reactivated and the material that should have been recorded for an album in 1990 has now been recorded for this debut by Darkest Color in 2018 which should explain everything I hope.

Given that it is now 28 years since these songs were originally written or at least conceptualised and that production techniques have improved drastically comparisons to how they would have sounded to how they sound now are moot unfortunately but suffice to say the songs have a bold sound with opening namesake track 'Darkest Color' possessing a brazen grating guitar sound I particularly like in thrash metal as the track has a very retro riff style as you’d expect with a chopping style on the riff as the tunes melody is easily absorbed as are the vocals which are harsh but clear. 'Politician' is vicious the moment it opens up as the snare sound is like tendons snapping in your neck along with the intermittent double bass salvos as the speed is notched up and the vocals take a turn into a more wrathful side. The switch to mosh like riffing followed by the bass riff is cool and with the cymbal smashing is excellent and will have the pits in swarms of action.

Another violent riff starts the title track which slices into a lead break as the song makes death defying swerves in speed with the surges maintaining the tempo especially with those counterattacking double kick lunges. The gritty 'Jesus Christ' has an emboldened riff with a powering beat linked to the solo at its start and one thing that stands out on this release is the lead breaks, there’s loads of them and they are excellent, well executed and positioned in every song. As the track evolves it steps on the accelerator as the vocals expose a slight echo to good effect giving it an old retro effect as the double bass influxes add considerable power making this song a highlight on the album especially with the multiple tempo shifts. What do you expect a song called 'Slam Dance' to be like? Yep you’d be right, full on heads down pit annihilation the song rarely lets up with the spat out title and links brilliantly into 'Sea Of Blood' with its scorching riff and cymbal smashing with subsequent vocal scream. The riff breaks are utterly explosive especially the one towards the end which is as corrosive as any I’ve heard this year by any thrash act. Closing the album is 'The End (Black End)' a sorrowful piece initially with semi acoustic guitar before it devolves into a menacing beast with chunky riffing. The uplifting riff change is great and has a hefty Metallica quotient from their good old days and it ends their album excellently before the tagging of a Holocaust cover on the end called 'Death or Glory' which has been hugely bolstered in heaviness without losing any of the homage to the classic track.

The songs on this release might be 28 years old but they have stood the test of time with consummate ease; they still sound fresh, they have undeniable power with a punishing set of riffs given a modern production and I sincerely hope this album is the first in a long line of future albums to come. Absolute power house of an album.


1. Darkest Color
2. Politician
3. Deal With Pain
4. Jesus Christ
5. Immaculate Conception
6. Slam Dance
7. Sea Of Blood
8. The End (Black End)
9. Death Or Glory (cover Holocaust)