Darkane is a Swedish thrash metal and melodic death metal band formed in Helsingborg in 1998. Their music incorporates acoustic interludes and symphonic elements, including synthesizers, orchestras and choirs. The band's name is a portmanteau of the words "dark" and "arcane".
Formation and "Rusted Angel" (1998-2000)
Guitarist Christofer Malmström, formerly of Agretator, and drummer Peter Wildoer formed Darkane in 1998. The band recorded a two-song demo that year and signed with War Music. Bassist Jörgen Löfberg, guitarist Klas Ideberg and vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid completed the initial lineup. Strid, who was also the vocalist for Soilwork, left Darkane because of scheduling conflicts. After several months without a vocalist, the band recruited Lawrence Mackrory on the recommendation of producer Daniel Bergstrand.
Mackrory performed on the band's debut album, "Rusted Angel", and played several live shows later that year. However, he was unable to join the band on tour in early 1999 because of other commitments. Andreas Sydow, who had previously played in a cover band with Malmström, replaced him.
"Insanity" and "Expanding Senses" (2001-2003)
After performing at festivals and concerts, Darkane signed with Nuclear Blast and began recording their second album. The recording sessions were affected by electrical storms, flooding and equipment malfunctions. The resulting album, "Insanity", was released in 2001.
Following further European touring and the band's first performance in North America in 2001, Darkane began working on their third album, "Expanding Senses", which was released in 2002.
"Layers of Lies" (2004-2007)
Darkane toured extensively following the release of "Expanding Senses". By early 2004, the band had written most of the material for their next album. However, drummer Peter Wildoer developed a wrist injury that caused severe pain, prompting the band to take a hiatus while he recovered.
During this period, Malmström released "Non Human Level", a solo album comprising previously unreleased material written between 1998 and 2004. Ideberg also worked on his side project Terror 2000.
By late 2004, Wildoer had recovered, and Darkane reconvened to record their fourth studio album, "Layers of Lies", released in May 2005. Following further touring, the band began preparing a live DVD titled "Layers of Live". The project took several years to complete and was released in 2010.
On 13 August 2007, Sydow announced his departure from the band. Jens Broman, formerly of Construcdead and The Defaced, joined Darkane as vocalist on 25 October 2007.
"Demonic Art" and vocalist changes (2008-2011)
On 6 October 2007, Darkane announced that they were writing material for their fifth studio album, "Demonic Art", which was released on 24 October 2008. Recording preparations were delayed after flooding severely damaged the band's studio, requiring them to find and rebuild a replacement facility.
The band's live DVD was filmed in May 2006 in Helsingborg, their hometown. It was subsequently released as "Layers of Live" in 2010.
On 6 August 2011, Broman announced that he was leaving Darkane for personal reasons. He was replaced by former vocalist Lawrence Mackrory, who had performed on the band's debut album, "Rusted Angel".
"The Sinister Supremacy" and "Inhuman Spirits" (2012-present)
On 30 July 2012, Darkane announced that they had begun recording their sixth studio album, initially planned for release in early 2013. The album, titled "The Sinister Supremacy", was released on 28 June 2013. It marked the band's first studio album since "Demonic Art" in 2008 and Mackrory's return to studio recordings with the band since "Rusted Angel" in 1999.
The band described the album's title as a metaphor for the destructive aspects of human behaviour, including selfishness, cruelty and the tendency to cause harm to others and oneself.
On 9 May 2013, Darkane revealed the album's track listing and cover artwork. The artwork was created by Carlos Holmberg, a former member of Soilwork, and was designed as a Rorschach test representing an individual who had succumbed to the concept of the "sinister supremacy".
On 24 June 2022, Darkane released "Inhuman Spirits", their first studio album in nine years.
On 16 May 2024, the band announced that Mackrory had left the group. Less than a week later, Darkane announced Tobiasz Derengowski as their new vocalist.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darkane
Studio albums
Rusted Angel (1999)
Insanity (2001)
Expanding Senses (2002)
Layers of Lies (2005)
Demonic Art (2008)
The Sinister Supremacy (2013)
Inhuman Spirits (2022)
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…shrink me down again