Back in the 1980s when the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was at its peak, one of the many bands trying to make a name for themselves was Dark Heart.
Alas, for them it was one album (Shadows of the Night) and out and that was that. Or was it……
Well, as it turns out not quite. Dark Heart come back out of nowhere in 2021 with a quite simply stunning album of NWOBHM rooted blazing heaviness with some quite remarkable guitar going on.
Main man and original member Alan Clark has co-opted the performer of that remarkable guitar work – Nick Catterick together with a monster rhythm section of Pete Newdeck and Josh Williams.
The band strutting through ten songs of power with a healthy dose of melody and a sprinkling of progressive stuff all making a fine album indeed.
Check out the opener for example. Darkest Eyes. Clark’s huge vocals, a blazing, savage riff and remarkable shredding from Catterick solidly backed up by the thumping drums ands bass. Such a great way to grab your ears from the off. Have a listen:
If you thought that was good (and why wouldn’t you…..?) then the rest of the album will hit the spot for you.
Riffs and huge chords everywhere. Nick Catterick is all over it shredding and soloing away with power and poise. It’s a guitar album for sure – that said Clark’s vocals are consistently powerful enough to match what’s going on behind him.
Cast to Stone, Edge of Dreams, Degrees of Separation and Wings of the Night huge each big, crisp, hard-hitting rockers which are instantly enjoyable. And lots more of that stunning Catterick guitar.
House of Usurer probably the stand-out with a he epic, atmospheric feel going on brooding away somewhat darkly and a bit proggy with Clark busting a lung. Phenomenal stuff.
Break the Chains, Time to Fly and K.O.T.D a bit more “direct” and just as energetically delivered and performed as what’s gone before.
Night Won’t Let Me Go closes it out with a nice chunky more melodic rocker.
Breath-taking stuff from start to finish. Big sound, nice, clear production job too.
After coming up a four decade hiatus, welcome back Dark Heart. Such a fine return from a NWOBHM-era band who clearly still have plenty to offer. I say don’t think about it, just buy it!
>> DARK HEART SELF-TITLED ALBUM ON AMAZON HERE <<
As I post this review, Amazon has the CD as temporarily unavailable though the streaming option is there if you prefer that.
Another option is the record label’s Bancamp page here:
https://sleaszyrider.bandcamp.com/album/dark-heart-dark-heart