Darkness Eternal – Misanthropic Annihilation
Autopsy Kitchen Records – AKR006 – August 30th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
It’s frustrating when talent is spread too thin like on
Darkness Eternal’s third offering,
Misanthropic Annihilation. Honestly, though, George Velaetis has an ungodly amount of talent seething in his veins, and one need look no further than the liner notes of his latest, which details each and every contribution. In addition to photography and logo design (the abbreviated one a variation on the
Dead Kennedys logo, no?), Velaetis recorded all vocals, guitars, bass, drums, and acquired both producing and co-mixing duties. Unfortunately, like I implied, this isn’t a top-notch release, though I think the frontman would benefit incredibly if he joined a band in which responsibilities were evenly distributed.
Velaetis is a self-proclaimed fanatic of
The Chasm, spending his days as bass live/session member for the heralded death metallers no less, and
Darkness Eternal borrow elements from said Mexican troupe, tossing in potions derived from the likes of
Nile,
Deeds of Flesh, and others. Recalling styles such as death and thrash,
Misanthropic Annihilation is an hour-long monster stacked with lengthy songs. The music is quite speedy and there are no faults immediately detectable; however, the material is kind of mundane in spite of the heartfelt outpouring. It’s easy enough to call this Canadian project a less epic, more boring version of
The Chasm, but I feel that wouldn’t be giving Velaetis proper accolades for his staggering abilities. It’s true that these nine tunes aren’t able to stand toe to toe with the genre heavyweights. Fair enough. Nevertheless, he appears to be a strong contender in just about every musical division, and as is the case with numerous one-man outfits, there’s usually a conspicuous – perhaps even embarrassing – weakness. For the most part, that concept decided to play hooky on
Misanthropic Annihilation.
So, what it comes down to is this:
Darkness Eternal didn’t really grab me, nor did any of the numbers make any lasting impressions. I’d suggest Velaetis determine which instrument he excels at the most, and then get involved with a kickass death metal group. I’d be intrigued to see what he’d do. Chances are, it’d be good.
5/10
UM’s Review Rating Scale
Official Darkness Eternal Website
Official Autopsy Kitchen Records Website
