DARKE COMPLEX is a bit of a mysterious band that I wasn't able to find much information on. Calling their fans "crows," and with the singer donning a half-face mask made of leather, the album cover depicts a distorted face, and have a feeling we are in for a wild ride here. "Point Oblivion" contains twelve tracks. If the opening guitar notes of "Dead To Me" can indicate, this is exactly what I expected...the unexpected. The riff is simple, but oh so effective in creating an ultra-heavy and menacing sound. Vocally the style is fairly unique...a cross between clean vocals and a form of vocals fry, but it's the rhythm of that really makes them stand out. Genre? They have me stumped here. It's Metal, but in an outer realm somewhat. "Nothing Within" is just as interesting. Rapped vocals in the verses and some sampling/electronica give way to nice, harmonized vocals in the chorus that are more in the area of Melodic Metal. What an intriguing combination so far.

"One Of Us" uses glittering keyboard notes that climb up and down a scale in the background, beneath the vocals that are as varied as you could hear. Drums, bass and guitar stick to punishing riffs and rhythms to batter your senses. "Abandoned" is like a Hip-Hop song with Metal punch. It's an emotional piece that shows perhaps the more melodic side of the bands' songwriting. I have to say it's actually quite captivating. "Detox" comes back around hard and slaps you in your face. It's dark and full of chunky riffs, and the back and forth between the clean spoken vocals and the Death vocals sure makes for a unique listen. "Marking Targets" is much more of a Rap song than anything. It's just vocals and samples. "Void" is I believe the first single released on the album...at least it appears first on their webpage. Do you remember the Alt-Rock outfit ADEMA, who composed the song "Immortal" for one of Mortal Kombat's videogames? This is the sort of vibe that checks in here.

"Cold Blooded" is another song in the Rap realm with vocals and sampling. In and of itself it is out of place on a Metal album but it fits with the album's overall approach. Segue into "Out Of Options" and you will hear what I mean. "Erase" closes the album. It's another emotional number with a big chorus. Overall this is pretty unique music, and clearly something that the band created from their own unique talents. I've heard some albums in this crossover type of genre, and many of them are too close to one side or the other, or fail to make a lasting connection between the two. But DARKE COMPLEX's "Point Oblivion" does a nice job on both of these fronts, is something that I think will appeal to a variety of listeners, and I applaud them for their unique creativity and boundary busting efforts.