THE DARK SILENCE OF DEATH

Take one of your favorite 70s hard rock albums, and peel off that extra layer of over-production so many of them were covered with, and you will have THE DARK SILENCE OF DEATH'S debut album. 40 minutes and 8 tracks of the kind of heavy hard-hitting rock you think you remember from the 70s until you go back and realize those albums spent a few too many months in post-production. Don't get me wrong -- this debut album is not lo-fi or garage. Not even close. It has full production quality without going that extra step with just a little too much perfection on the guitar or a slightly under-mixed bass. Or the dreaded "pretty" vocals. This album is downright evil at times, and in fact it sets you up so that by the time you get to the next to last track, you are glad to receive the nasty sludge thrown at you at the very end. This is an album you can get your "I like hard rock" friends to listen to, and then get them sucked into the world of the heavy underground. This is a great album.


One hallmark of a great 70s rock album is its flow. Starts off hard, gets louder, backs off and slows down a little, only to pick it back up and hammer it home at the end. And man, this album has all that without any of the songs making you reach for the SKIP button.

A little extra about the vocals. The band sings in English despite being from Mexico, and the sound is simply incredible. Rough and a little evil without getting into growling. Really excellent. Mrs. Cracklins is out of town this week but she will also dig this album for sure when she gets back.


As is very often the case, a great debut album is the result of veteran musicians coming from other bands, including Fool Magician. The Dark Silence of Death's current lineup is:

Viejo Macabro: Guitar
Javo Monzon: Vocals
Vader: Bass
Juan Carlos: Drums

This album is an absolute bargain at $1 right now on Bandcamp. Hurry up and add this hard rock gem to your collection.