SUIDAKRA is a metal band from Germany, who formed in 1994. Their sound contains many elements, including folk, melodic death, death and black metal. Depending on the album, some elements are stronger than others but their sound, overall, has remained remarkably consistent. Just as remarkable, “Darkanakrad,” is their SIXTEENTH full-length album, in addition to a demon and EP. I discovered this band around 2002 or 2003 and have been a fan ever since. As with any band, some albums are better than others, but they have never released an album I didn’t like. To have as much music as they have and keep the quality high is insane. Some fans cry about “Realms of Odoric,” but I never had any issues with it.

“Darkanakrad,” keeps the quality up and is one of their best albums in some time. It’s rather intense in some places but retains their penchant for providing many melodic and folk elements without sacrificing aggressiveness or speed. The first full song, “As Heroes Abide,” is exactly what to expect from this album—and it’s without a double one of their heaviest songs. The speed and tightness of the main rhythms is something to behold yet the band strives to make the song catchy and epic—and exceed at doing so. The sole original member, Arkadius, continues to be in top form in vocals, guitars, and keys. He takes on a lot with this band, obviously, but never seems to falter at any point on this album. It’s a balanced album as well, with many clean parts (both vocally and instrumentally) that are as engaging and important as the metal segments. It’s the hallmark of the band and few can transition between styles as seamless as they can.

“Seven Sentinels,” embraces this, opening with clean guitars but layering them with sweet, sweet lead melodies and wonderful cleans. When the band turns on the heavy, the biting tone of the guitars and be felt if you’re wearing a decent pair of headphones. The melodies are rapid and energetic, another key to the song’s (and album’s) success. Of course, it wouldn’t be a SUIDAKRA album without clean, folk passages. “Ashes of Truth,” is such a song and its placement in the track list is perfect. It’s emotive and intricate enough to feel more like a full song than an interlude. After that song comes one of my favorites on the album, “The Heart of Darkness.” It opens with a beautiful little intro before the band dives full speed into their song. It’s fast, extreme (for them), and unrelenting. With that being said, my favorite part actually starts around the 4:30 mark when the tempo is pulled back and the band lets its melodic tendencies really shine.

As the album gets deeper, the quality remains high, if not better—this is definitely not a front loaded album. “Cruinnath’s Breath,” is engaging with its vocal styles contrasting between blackened screams, death growls, and soaring cleans. The music alternates between searing riffs, galloping rhythms, and gentle melodies that accent everything just the right way. The final song is, as you probably guessed by the title of “At The Gates Medley,” is a tribute to the band that has inspired them and so many others over the decades. But it’s really well done and if the band hears it, I’m sure they will feel honored. SUIDAKRA’s “Darkanakrad,” is yet another fantastic album from a band that has been around a long time but, thankfully, shows know sign of slowing down. It has all the hallmarks of a well written album that flows smoothly from beginning to end.