‘Prologue (A Voice Unheard)’ provides a brief thirty seconds of relative calm that leaves things brilliantly poised for the rest of an EP packed to the rafters with tight and technically minded melodic hardcore. Dual guitars soon find their way into ‘Canthus Viewpoints’ which immediately sets a high standard with its strong chorus and fast pace. However, Darko soon raise the bar even higher with ‘Hanging Off A Memory’, showing off their ability to introduce metallic elements that add another layer to their already varied sound.
Part of the charm of ‘Sea Of Trees’ is that Darko have no interest in anything other than playing loud, hard, and fast. There are no false pretences and no pandering to an audience, it’s simply riff after riff, with a smattering of gang vocals, breakdowns, and off-kilter time signatures to keep things interesting.
From the perfectly timed fade-in at the start of ‘Timepieces And Lock Shaped Hearts’ and its ultra-tight fretwork to the last note of ‘Seaward’, the latter part of the EP is equally as strong as the first. Bands such as Darko are often judged on the strength of individual elements, such as how good the riffs are or how fast the drumming is, but Darko are more than competent at the lyrical side of things too as the line “When I ride my last wave, This 100 year storms final charade, My ghost drowned in shame” in ‘Seaward’ demonstrates.
UK bands sometimes have to wrestle with the misconception that American bands do it better simply because of where they’re from. Whilst it would be very difficult to deny that Darko have been influenced by one or two acts from the other side of the Atlantic, ‘Sea Of Trees’ is fresh and original. The musicianship across the whole EP is incredibly high, enabling Darko to find a perfect balance between melodic and heavier elements. ‘Sea Of Trees’ is everything you would expect, and more. It’s not just a launch pad for the band themselves, but also a well needed attention boost for technical and melodic punk overall.
CHRIS HILSON