Band:	Darkseed
Album:	Diving Into Darkness
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	2000

01. Forever Darkness
02. I Deny You
03. Counting Moments
04. Can't Find You
05. Autumn
06. Rain
07. Hopelessness
08. Left Alone
09. Downwards
10. Cold Under Water
11. Many Wills

One year after the delightful melancholy of the really good "Give Me Light" Darkseed choose a path where "Diving Into Darkness" is the only way and judging from the blurry colors of the cover of the album and its title all you can expect is darker and more melancholic music and this is what Darkseed offer!

Gothic metal is what Darkseed offer for one more time, adorned with an 80s sense through its whole duration, concerning its feeling and atmosphere, and the emotions that come forth are intense and vivid since the members of the band pour themselves totally in the compositions. Both the atmosphere and the lyrical part pace together beautifully, drowning in blue and purple colors of melancholy with Stefan, Tom and Tommie offering to the gothic audience inspired melodies, either more serene or more upbeat, keeping the sound and music quality to high standards.

The guitar riffing work is good and the riffing that adorns the compositions holds the ideas together tight and along with the rhythm section the songs sound dynamic and imposing whenever they have to, or more fragile when more gentle emotions are willing to flow in the air. The keyboards enrich the sound of the band in an ideal way and they haven't forgotten of the electronic references they had on "Give Me Light", on the contrary, this time it seems as if the use of electronics concerning the synthesizers is more vivid and at the same time the guitars are more in the foreground than "Give Me Light" and they definitely sound heavier. Of course, the keyboards are not only electro-oriented, they are used as well to unfold their serene and atmosphere-evoking melodies. One big plus of the album is the fact that Stefan's voice sounds even better and he has matured a lot in the way he interprets with his utterly clean vocals being just fabulous, his melodic husky ones sounding really expressive and his grunting ones (on songs like "Forever Darkness", "Downwards" and "Cold Under Water") being powerful for sure!

"Diving Into Darkness" is an esoteric album and this is being mirrored in the poetic and melancholic lyrics, its gentle yet powerful atmosphere and the emotions that overrun the listener while cherishing the beauty of it. Songs like the deeply emotional and at the same time powerful and upbeat "Forever Darkness", the dynamic "Can't Find You", the melancholic and nostalgic "Autumn", the doleful "Hopelessness" and the touching "Many Wills" are songs that will haunt you from the moment you will listen to them!

If you want to listen to a really good gothic metal album filled with emotion then "Diving Into Darkness" is an album for you, don't hesitate to check it out.