Some of the readers are not into what we call "American Metal". Well, I can tell you a thing: it's not merely Metal made on United States of American; it's a bit far from this.

As I say time and time again, the USA Metal school is well known due their strong link with melodies and a refined technique on playing, along with hooking arrangements and choruses. If you can pay deep attention to bands from the NWOBHM and from those ancients from USA as the pioneers THE RODS, as well from RUTHLESS, ARMORED SAINT and OMEN, you'll be able to understand my words. And as an heir from those times, we have many good names on North American scene, as the quintet AS DARKNESS DIES, and their first album, "As Darkness Dies", is a very good piece of Metal music.

They follow a similar musical style from bands I told above, just with a modern touch in some moments (it's impossible to do things or sound in the 80s way right now), but their work is melodic, aggressive and with that precious use of a tender and good technique, with very good hooking choruses. Even some Hard Rock touches can be heard on their music.

Mike Vescera (from OBSESSION, former singer for YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) was the producer of the album. So you can bet that the sound quality is very good, with all instruments in their due places, and their music flows cleaner and comprehensible from the speakers, with good tunes and the right sound volume level. But as well, the sound is heavy as they need.

The fast and melodic "Black Death" (with some slow moments and very good chorus, with the vocals being aggressive and melodic in due proportions), the heavy and bittersweet "Cloaked in Darkness" (with guitars showing a clear influence from NWOBHM, but with a classic Hard Rock feeling filling the song, with excellent guitars), the wonderful "Ghost" (again that equilibrium between melodic and introspective moments with some aggressive ones is perfect. And once more, a hooking chorus, and a fine work from bass and drums), the energetic and full of rhythmic changes "World of Decay" (again, the NWOBHM scent is clear on the guitars, but not as a cloning, but personality), the heavy and thundering "Demons" (with tempos not as fast as we could expect, but with a heavy and traditional atmosphere, with fine aggressive vocals and great guitars once more), and the tender and melodic bonus "Far Away" deserves a listening as well, because it shows a more Hard Rock/Country Rock orientated song, being musically accessible, but excellent as well, can be named as their finest moments, besides the whole album is really very good.

Going down this road, they can become great, because their works deserves applause!