EP Review: No One, Nowhere, Nothing

At first glance, you’d never think quiet little New Zealand would be capable of exporting such a brutal act as Darktide. Their new EP No One, Nowhere, Nothing is exactly that: Brutal, unrelenting, and evil.

The opener: No One engages the listener as to the onslaught that is to come; an all-encompassing metal showcase, as it brings in low-tuned guitars and smooth drum work to start and weaves into its doom-metal influences and death metal blast beats as the tempo changes faster than Auckland city weather.

The dark atmospheric motifs that draw through each track burn unease into your ears and make even sitting and listening seem apocalyptic, evil, and somewhat thought-provoking.

The epitome of this idea is in the track Nowhere which opens slowly with agonizing cries in the background and the shrill guitar setting the scene; every instrument is given an equal place in the mix and there is exceptional talent and precision in every layer of instrumentation.
These guys are clearly sitting at the top of their game.

As the tracks move along there is a sense of evolution among the sound and vibe, the opening track uses brutality, percussive playing, and breakdowns whereas the closer draws out and relies on dis-harmonics and more doom-oriented styles.

With all said and done the four tracks presented are well thought out, passionate and prime examples of the kind of creativity and talent we have in our underground music scene. I think most fans of other NZ metal acts such as Blindfolded and Led to the Woods, Pale Flag and Swamp Dweller will love this release.