Hearts of Darkness by Dusk

Dusk is the doomster of Pakistan. They are known for producing some of the best underground metal recently. Their debut full length release – "My Infinite Nature Alone" (1999) – was released by Hibernia productions Portugal (a Portuguese record label). Dusk Studios have never failed to impress me before, so I was expecting nothing less than high quality doom from – "Hearts of Darkness" – second full-length release. The doom metal genre has always intrigued me. Harnessing heaviness over brutality and relying upon song-writing ability. The two dark hearts and souls that make Dusk a possibility are Babar Shaikh on vocals and bass. And the guitar whiz Faraz Anwar on guitars, synths, hymns and drums. "Hearts of Darkness" is a compilation of some of their previous dark offerings from the time they took birth (1995) till now (2002). The five unsullied shadowy songs are what you should be looking out for in this record. Talk about mighty metal albums, this has it all; warp speed, heavy riffing, immaculate drumming and a considerable knowledge of just how to execute this fine art.

Vocalist Babar Shaikh possesses a haunting clean vocal style that contrasts well with the band's low-end doom rumblings. Subdued Light (2001) has a very encouraging beginning and lays down some fine slabs of epic doom metal, which sets a very impressive scene indeed. This is also where we hear the best vocals of Babar Shaikh. In his words "This track encompasses everything that Dusk is all about. A dark shade of brutality married to undying grace with a subtle shade of unforeseen atmospheres that echo the necessary gloom, which has been a trademark of all Dusk material."

Mass Grave (1995) follows and it stands furious. The attack is so precise and direct; you will feel compelled to uncontrollably jump against walls and head bang until you feel your cranium disconnecting from your shoulders.

Obscure Moon Sighting (2002) is surely the longest track on the album (12:11) and the most mixed-up and perplexed. This is one of the two guest appearances from Babar's ambient side project called Aufgang. This song washes over the listener with wave after wave of some of the most depressing chord changes and sounds ever put to CD. Barges Buns who's on saxophone has done an outstanding performance on this track. That is the beauty with such acts - they do not impress with showmanship, but instead completely rely on creating emotional vibes for the committed listener to lose themselves within. And by the end of this song a lack of a female vocalist is felt miserably. The atmosphere that is generated by a female's backing vocals in these shady songs is simply alluring in most of the metal bands from other parts of the world. I would seriously advice the band to go on a hunt for a dark angel that might willingly provide her vocals for these disoriented sounds.

None of the tracks here are for the faint hearted – especially the likes of Await (1996) and Fortress of Solitude (1997). These are anthems that any self respecting death nut should possess. The lyrics of most of the songs are murky and take us to territories that we've never been to before. Like most metal bands their lyrics too are extremely hard to understand but this is where their website comes handy. The lyrics portion on http://duskstudios.bakterium.com will help us all to understand the blasphemy expressions that run through virtually every track that totals the 80 minute time slot of this record.

Blast beats, tremolo picked guitar arpeggios, screamed vocals and very little in the way of respite from the relentless battery is what you should expect from this record. Although I'm no musician, the quality of each song structure is awesome. The riffs are laden with fantastic hooks and there are many twists, turns and times changes. Dusk performs decent doom metal just the way they intended it to be; flowing, classic and possessing a sound that will bathe you in its dream-like qualities.

Clearly, not everyone will enjoy Dusk's music. My advice is that all those who feel interested by this review should purchase "Hearts of Darkness". It is a decent introduction to the band and as an album isn't going to cause significant upset should you not like it. If you find Dusk as appealing as I do, then you really are in for a treat.

Review by: Insiya Syed

First published: Star Newspaper, Karachi, Pakistan.