Dark Age

1984… man, I’ll just have to say it again! What a great year to be born into! If only I had been born with adult-like consciousness and the super power to listen to all of the metal music being crafted across the globe at the moment, out of sheer will! Truth is, I just discovered this unsung masterpiece a couple of years ago thanks to the super power of Internet. What a discovery! This is easily one of the most criminally unknown metal records of all time. This should be as known and revered as other ’84 metal cornerstones of similar style such as Ample Destruction, Omen, Burning Star or even Hail to England. But fate, oh, you cruel bitch! You decided to throw this into the darkest dungeon of the underground, to there forever wait until the time was ripe for it to be discovered by those worthy… err… lucky enough.

Yeah, I think a lot about Dungeons & Dragons and other sword and sorcery stuff while listening to this EP, the lone release in LA-based Dark Age’s brief and almost unnoticed career. There was another American (Ohio-based) Dark Age band almost as unnoticed as this one, being formed in 84’ as well, which I haven’t listened to yet. But just look at that flame-spitting dragon on the cover! HELLYEAH! This release has the right elements right from the start. The logo lettering might not be the best ever, a bit childish, but I imagine this guys didn’t have the biggest of budgets, being total unknowns. Anyway, they made good use of most of it, as each of the near-perfect heavy/power tunes here is given a muscular, balanced and organic production thanks to the indisputable talents of Mr. Randy Burns, who would go on to produce masterpieces such as Agent Steel’s Unstoppable Force, Dark Angel’s seminal Darkness Descends, Death’s debut and great deal of Nuclear Assault’s discography, among many other amazing stuff.

Dark Age’s scarce but excellent musical output can be described as a bridge between Maiden and Tygers’ NWOBHM and the nascent US power metal scene which was just starting to blossom, when Manilla Road and Manowar saw their ranks reinforced by the likes of Omen, Brocas Helm, Helstar and so forth. In fact, Robert Stevens’ vocal delivery stands somewhere between James Rivera and John Cyriis, sharing both frontmen tendencies to occasionally go for the high-pitched glass bursting shrills while usually maintaining a not so high/medium range. If you enjoy that type of singing, this EP is a must… but also because the guitars are up to the challenge, forceful, compelling and interesting on their own, be it in leads or rhythms. From the proto-thrash, Exodus-like riffing on opener “Metal Axe” and the tapping intro titled “The Execution”, to the searing bursts of melody on “Viper”, worthy of appearing on any Satan (UK band) release, there’s plenty of variation and explosiveness here to enjoy and head-bang to, as Johnny Ljissacs and Alan Foley prove themselves a formidable guitar duo with great potential, that sadly would never be developed. The rhythmic section guys are no slouch either, James McGearty being a graduate of the Steve Harris Academy of Bass Badassery, keeping things busy with his fulfilling, throbbing bass-lines. Jeff "Exx" Brunton’s drumming is perhaps the least impressing performance here on its own. Nonetheless, he plays spot on in decently fast to mid-tempo speed, adding tasteful fills here and there, and I can’t think of something amiss or that could be improved instrumentally on this EP.

While the lyrics are a quite simple, typical fantasy clichéd stuff penned by similar bands, the lines are sung with such clamor and power that one cannot but sing-along and partake in the awesome metal-fest that this little treasure provides. My favorite tune is “Viper”, plagued with Stevens’ high screams that stand between the thin line of geniality and cheesiness, and those immortal melodies that have been written in the metal grimoire inside my head, never to be erased by spell, fire or blade (not even Alzheimer… maybe). Truth is, the seven original tracks contained in the Side Tiger and the Side Dragon, as well as the previously unreleased eponymous track, are all great; spectacular early USPM, perfectly crafted weapons to wield and swing against the monsters of daily-life boredom. It’s really a shame that these guys didn’t carry on, I feel they would have achieved greatness with ease and produce monumental works nowadays revered by metalheads around the globe. More easily written than done, but sadly one can only imagine. Anyway, my advice is: GET THIS, throw your fists, imaginary, or real blade in the air, enjoy and worship it! Like it fucking deserves!

You know those moments where you listen to a favorite album for the umpteenth time, and it's so fucking cool that the urge to tell someone about it is finally too much to contain? Well, for me that moment is now and I'm telling you about Dark Age. The album was released in 1984, and my mind immediately leaps to various USPM landmarks; the debuts from Omen, Helstar, Griffin, Jag Panzer and Fates Warning were all released that same year, so to say it was a big year for the style is like saying Jerry Fogle can play the guitar pretty well. I would place Dark Age's debut among those other big albums as far as quality is concerned, which is high praise indeed, but unfortunately the same can't be said for their popularity. Dark Age were condemned to undeserved obscurity even by USPM standards. But while the band's lone EP certainly carries echoes of those other weighty debuts, what I hear most of is an evolved NWOBHM aesthetic; Diamond Head springs to mind, as similar youthful energy abounds, and copious hard rock influence is also present, mostly in the melody and chord progression patterns. On the other hand, the melancholy mythological power ballad, "Tales of Medusa", brings to mind Angel Witch instead, at least until it gets furious halfway through. "Battle Axe" reminds me of Brocas Helm mixed with Iron Maiden, and I'm sure anyone familiar with heavy metal could point out lots of other similarities; however these are just similarities, rather than aping, and Dark Age bring plenty of their own style to the table. The lead guitars as well hearken back to Diamond Head and of course early Iron Maiden, but it is important to stress how far beyond those bands Dark Age's leads have evolved. Every single song on the EP contains memorable lead guitar passages, each on par with the very best NWOBHM had to offer, which of course is no mean feat. My personal favorites are probably in "Messenger to Ascheron" and fantastic closer "Viper" (listen to those time signature shifts!), but with such quality to choose from you can't miss. Even "Rock Revelation", a track that going by the title ought to be some crappy metasong about rock, is totally fantastic. The ending with the repeated chords and yelps is really unusual, and very awesome. Every song has an interesting nugget or three to chew on, and none are throwaways, even the wiggly intro to "Messenger to Ascheron", and fans of the 1979 move The Warriors will enjoy the tribute in "Warrior", which also happens to be a great song.

Griffin shrieker Bill McKay comes to mind when Robert Stevens wails; while he's not as over-the-top as McKay, he still exudes a similar youthful, barely-controlled enthusiastic energy that's powerful enough to render his rare pubescent squawks and other occasional amateurish transgressions not only acceptable, but downright endearing (on the other hand, he sounds rather mature during the slow section of "Tales of Medusa"; Stevens's mercurial style is very hard to summarize). His high tenor is quite clear and powerful, and his falsetto even more so, substituting a melancholy clarity for McKay's rough aggression. The falsetto in particular reminds me of the mysterious vocalist behind the Lords of the Crimson Alliance, in that clear, piercing, detachable balls kind of way. The production is typical and acceptable, with all instruments being clear albeit rough, with the mix good enough to be able to discern even the oft-neglected bassist, who actually earns his corner of the spotlight with frequent interesting Harrisian bouncy licks.

A dark, melancholy mood pervades the album beneath the youthful vigor, which goes beyond mere teen angst; Angel Witch or perhaps Mercyful Fate provide good comparisons, in that even the most exultant sections seem mere temporary departures from a state of deep depression or even grief. "Tales of Medusa" provides an apt example, as it starts out in a state of slow, soul-crushing depression, takes a break from it in the middle for some very up-beat solo breaks, and then returns to the original mood for the ending. Though it may seem a bit schizophrenic, it works; the songs are all short, but Dark Age pack in enough ideas for a whole album into this short EP. No song is over five minutes, but all feel large enough to fill volumes.

Most importantly, however, Dark Age are able to write emotionally and technically complicated music without ever losing that feeling of rough-and-tumble youth to virtuosic pretensions. It's like they don't even realize how good they are; they just play.

Now, if only Dark Age could've released a full length album with material like this. The slightest disappointment here is obviously the length but for an EP out of the 80's, a little over 20 minutes worth of music here isn't that bad at all. The production quality itself is above and beyond, it sounds just as good as top notch full length releases at the time. These talented musicians are another group that were lost among a blind shuffle and as I always like to say with bands such as these guys, that's a damn shame.

Griffin were one of the more technical power metal acts out of the US from the very early 80's and I can probably say Dark Age were even a bit more virtuous in their skillful work with the guitars or perhaps more aggressive. As the former reviews have stressed, the leads throughout these songs are downright mesmerizing and more than just impressive. Though Dark Age has an interesting style going here, this sounds like the perfect combination of old aggressive NWOBHM molded into a thick US power metal glove, a absolutely perfect match that the group completely nailed and delivered. Vocalist Robert Stevens isn't some average guy himself, displaying a monstrous range that seems completely endless. The diversity in his singing really adds a lot to this entire EP, he seems to change up his style on almost every single track - and just when you thought you heard his shrieking peak, he transcends that limit and hits even higher notes track after track. This who enjoy classic screaming introductions are in for a treat with Warrior and Viper!

All in all this is simply one of the best classic EP's I've stumbled across and I'll rank it higher than plenty of full length albums out there. The style alone makes this worth hearing because while I can easily compare this to Helstar's debut, early Liege Lord, Griffin, and so forth ... the mixture of NWOBHM and power metal elements here is truly remarkable. Tracks like Metal Axe and Rock Revelation are perfect examples of this combination, very uplifting and powerful songs filled with galloping rhythm's, insane solo's, and vocals that always impress. Tales of Medusa is for the most part a slower more creative track with quite a moody and majestic vibe to it, extremely mysterious. Messenger to Ascheron (along with it's instrumental intro Intro the Execution) is similar to the first two songs I've mentioned but there's several segments where the track is completely controlled by these odd melodies and dual harmonies like something I've never heard before, it's insanely original and the outcome is incredible. If the quality wasn't already there by now, both Warrior and Viper shatter barriers and take the end of this EP to an unreachable epic peak.

If you took away the thrash influences from Mysty Dysto's debut, this is probably what they would've sounded like. Very comparable to Helstar's debut with mindblowing solo's that you could rank up to Liege Lord's masterful guitar work on Burn To My Touch and Master Control. Of course, as I've stated previously Dark Age had a sound and style of their own. This is absolutely essential to anyone who considers themselves a classic US metal fan.

"...in brazen steel image, martyrs shall die..."

You’ve heard of things falling by the wayside. Fans of the music will tell you they’d like to know where this so-called wayside actually is ‘cos some of the stuff clogging the pit may be halfway decent. Collectors will tell you they’d like to know ‘cos many of those forgotten releases are now quite rare. Dark Age’s lone, unknown ep clutches a jagged overhang looming over the pit with a ‘what about me?’ look in the dragon's eyes, very much acceptable and easily on the scarce side.

Like 9/10 of the bands back then, it’s NWOBHM influenced; vocals capable of shattering windows with every yelp, melodies and rhythms flowing in fluent tandem…the usual expectations for the heralded style. In addition, the album culls a few Malmsteen-isms, from little dwiddles to near full on songwriting speculation in a Rising Force/Marching Out verve, and Randy Burns’ clear production/engineering job showcases much of it and would be a warm up for Megadeth and The Offbeats (?).

Side Tiger (yeah, it’s one of those) moves along quickly with “Metal Axe”, a staunchly straightforward opening track setting up the melancholy start of “Tales of Medusa”, a deception that uncoils with many rich concurring rhythms that are so Maiden it’s useless to describe in any other way. Rhythmically seasoning “Rock Revelation”’s trotting gait is a very light early-Overkill flavor with a hint of Omen-ish aftertaste while Robert Stevens hurls falsetto over the whole ordeal.

Side Dragon’s “The Execution/Messenger to Ascheron” marches at a pace matching “Rock Revelation”, but is more profound with its twin guitar gymnastics and skilled solos akin to Maiden meets Malmsteen. Top track “Warrior” is a tribute to the style, aroused with vocals at times in ultra-high mode and oodles of proficient musicianship. “Viper” is pretty uncomplicated in its delivery with a range of rhythm shifts while the vocals oddly down tune to the gruff realm. In bands such as these, the vocals are more often the weak link in the chain, but Robert Stevens can stand toe to toe with just about any singer in that period of the style. By adding him they immediately resolved what is usually the common problem.

This should’ve never gone by the wayside, but on the monstrous Gnarly Records with its three miles of distribution range, the chances of being picked up by a known indie label was as widespread as the record’s supply. NWOBHM fans should pick this up if given the opportunity.