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DARKLON
Mind Reaper

No Remorse (2025)
Rating: 8/10

With their third studio album, Greek metallers Darklon ensures that their armour still glistens like the sun. With swords and instruments raised high, the Athens-based combo is now armed with a new vocalist in the form of Billy “The Kid” Chrepas (Wildfire). Chrepas replaces Nikos Migus A. who had been with the band since 2019. For any fans concerned about the change, I’d just like to reassure you that Chrepas does an admirable job, slotting nicely with his clear yet powerful tones.

Darklon are quite a force, blending power metal and traditional metal smoothly, occasionally racing towards a thrashier stance. Greece is one of the strongest nations when it comes to producing high quality metal and when opening song ‘In The Abyss’ strides confidently into earshot you know you’re in for a sizzling ride. Kras D.K. (aka Dave K. Krasonis) is a real star on the axe, swirling his solos through rings of fiery riffs as the title cut gallops like a dazzling combination of Metal Church and Fates Warning, but with a dousing of Euro power metal.

Less icy than I expected, the album thaws quickly due to its scorching guitar work, while any remaining chunks of ice are shattered by the drums of Geor Kana who is a beast on the slower menace of ‘Powercast’ and the strident ‘Shockwave’. The band’s more eccentric and theatrical side comes to the fore on ‘The Mad Messiah’ which sits slap bang in the middle of the album. Gothic organ and moody narration leads us into an epic smorgasbord of dazzling leads and burning thrash aesthetics.

As Chrepas emerges from the smoke I’m reminded of the glinting potency of Helloween as the clan effortlessly drives headlong into Eurogoth settings constructed of robust Greek steel. I’m thankful though that Mind Reaper is bereft of contemporary gloss, because although the production is clean there’s still that emphasis on a late 80s and early 90s coating hinting at bands like Artch, Crimson Glory and Fates Warning, although less progressive.

Neil Arnold

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