Dark Chapel released debut album Spirit in the Glass through MNRK Heavy on February 28.
The industrial sound of the drums and bass stand out throughout opening track Afterglow, with some sick riffs coming in every so often. It’s a good start to the album and has some haunting vocals. Initially the albums instrumentation stands out more than the lyrics and vocals which are a bit repetitive, though I don’t have an issue with that as it’s refreshing when I’m drawn more to the instrumentation.
We Are Remade switches things up with a very spooky and calm ending which was a surprise but a nice touch.
Glass Heart is probably one of the songs that stand out the most lyrically for me. It’s also a more melodic track, as is the piano opening to Dead Weight.
Dead Weight is beautiful. Lyrically, it’s relatable with lines like “I fear that it’s far too late, now I’m dead weight. I’d hate to burden you with my embrace and restrain you from all that awaits.” It’s a real ballad that shows off Dario’s vocals and adds a lot of emotion to the album.
The middle of the album slows right down with the aforementioned Dead Weight being followed by the acoustic Dark Waters. It’s another lyrically deep track and a really nice listen.
It picks back up again with more sick riffs in Gravestoned Humanity which also has some country rock style vocals which is really cool.
The album is definitely one where the instrumentation stands out. At times with the length of vocal-free sections it could feel like an instrumental album but one I would really enjoy.
The guitar riffs throughout are fantastic and the prominence of the bassline is great as so many times, the bass is buried under everything else.
The grungey vocals add an air of darkness and despair (in a good way), creating a haunting atmosphere over the sludgey instrumentation.
It’s not usually something I would listen to, but the instrumentation on Spirit in the Glass definitely kept me hooked.
