Search - Dark Moor :: Beyond the Sea

Kenneth W. (Eyesore) from TAUNTON, MA
Reviewed on 12/4/2007...

Dark Moor began its emergence into the metal world in Madrid in 1993 as the brainchild of guitarists Enrik Garcia and Javier Rubio. Three years later the first recorded material surfaced on the demo Tales Of The Dark Moor. After two male singers left the band, and the eventual departure and replacement of founding member Javier Rubio the band would find themselves a female vocalist by the name of Elisa C. Martin who would contribute to two demos, two EPs and three full-length albums. Along the way the band shed its skin of many members including Elisa in 2003.

As of this review the only founding member left with the band is Enrik Garcia and they've once again employed the talents of a male singer in Alfred Romero. This new album, Beyond The Sea, is his second with the band after 2003's self-titled release. Once again we find the band playing a fairly typical form of European power metal -- their only flaw -- that incorporates mid- to high-range vocals (occasionally including some almost-death metal growls), big hooks, fast staccato riffs, solos, keyboards, double bass, all the usual suspects.

Dark Moor has always been a great power metal band and even with the loss of the excellent Elisa Martin on vocals they still continue to produce excellent material. Never skipping a beat. This new album will not disappoint fans of old, nor turn away newcomers interested in the band. If you like power metal, you'll like this album; you'll like all of their albums.

Website: http://www.dark-moor.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/theofficialdarkmoor

A solid release!

Andrew S | Chesterfield, MI United States | 06/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although Dark Moor certainly isn't new to the whole melodic metal scene, I think it's safe to say that the new "era" of the band started with their self-titled release with new vocalist Alfred Romero. Although the fan-base of Dark Moor was somewhat divided between the old, neo-classical sound and the new, more straight-forward sound, I can safely say that I prefer the new to the old.



Beyond The Sea, Dark Moor's fifth full-length release, is easily my favorite. One of the first things I noticed about the album was the great amount of balance and diversity present. There is no single element that is overdone or blown out of proportion - every element, from the speed to the symphonics to the heaviness, are used with class. It's rare to find an album like this (in which I am not downing bands that focus on one thing, for I love them too), and it's a pleasant surprise when one does roll around.



As for the structure and songs present on the album, I have to that the whole record flows especially well, with some definite highlights, such as the epic The Silver Key, the mid-paced title-track or the classic power metal number Going On. Every song has its own identity, whilst also possessing the overall identity of Dark Moor.



To sum it all up, if you're a fan of melodic metal with a fair amount of diversity and class, I highly recommend Dark Moor's latest masterpiece Beyond The Sea. You may find yourself quite surprised as I did!



For more information on the band, as well as some music and videos, visit Dark Moor's official site at www.dark-moor.com - thanks for reading!"