Review Summary: If their goal with Written in Blood was to use their skills as musicians to write solid songs to the best of their abilities, Darkness Divided succeed in spades.
Time and time again, I find that bands lumped into the metalcore genre tend to have very little heavy metal in them (or very little hardcore but that's a different story). They are called metalcore because they utilize screamed vocals and play breakdown-type mosh parts. The idea of technicality is lost and the heavy tone feels forced.
Darkness Divided is not one these bands.
Written in Blood came out in 2014 and followed up several quite impressive songs from the band's day prior to signing with Victory Records, such as Voyager. The album shows the band further developing the sound they established on their prior recordings, however, Written in Blood demonstrates a band that is seemingly able to showcase a technical metal edge while also embracing solid song structures and the hardcore element with the various breakdowns scattered throughout the album. These guys can definitely play, but this isn't to say that their musicianship overshadows their song writing abilities. It is merely a platform for them to write music with. And if their goal with Written in Blood was to use their skills as musicians to write solid songs to the best of their abilities, Darkness Divided succeed in spades.
Written in Blood is for any fans of classic 2000s metalcore a la As I Lay Dying and Killswitch Engage. Their blend of precise technical metal and superb songwriting will appeal to any metal fan.
DARKNESS DIVIDED
WRITTEN IN BLOOD
VICTORY RECORDS
