DARKTRIBE – “Forgotten Reveries” (2025)

France has produced some amazing bands in terms of Power Metal like NIGHTMARE, or the very loved HEAVENLY who really need to make a comeback as soon as possible, because 16 years of absence are too much! DARKTRIBE come to join the list with their new album. Armed with a new production courtesy of Simone Mularoni, who has also produced countless other albums, they have evolved their Progressive Power Metal, which caught me completely off guard with how good it is. “Forgotten Reveries” is the band’s fourth entry with their lineup standing firm, as it is unchanged since the release of their debut in 2012, which most of the times is a good sign.

So what do we have here? A Power Metal foundation with heavy guitars and a robust rhythm section, filled with a modern keyboard sound that is usually found in Progressive bands, as well as some orchestrations here and there that exist in a supporting way. Do not let your mind wander towards the modern form of the genre, instead let it travel a little South, to Italy, and bands like ELDRITCH, ELEGY or VISION DIVINE. At very selected times they remind of STRATOVARIUS if the already released ‘Ghost memories’ wasn’t enough of a hint, but overall DARKTRIBE sound authentic enough, as not once did I think I was listening to a copycat.

What got my attention in the first place and made me check the album, only to persist and become my favorite aspect of it, is the performance of vocalist Anthony Agnello. He has a distinct tone that makes him recognizable immediately, though the most important factor are the very interesting vocal melodies, that the majority of the time sound fresh and inspired. To be fair, the final result is not only his achievement, as the songs sound great overall! Exciting heavy riffs, tasty leads, playful drumming, keyboards that feel essential rather than overused or like filler and inspired songwriting, are the main ingredients of the record.

I did not get these feelings from the band’s previous albums to this degree, hence the evolution I said earlier, I believe they have really stepped up in every aspect. “Forgotten Reveries” is not the musical evolution that will lead Metal into its next generation or anything similar. To put it very simply, romanticized even, it reminds me of a different period where you just bought an album, it ended up being very good and you listened to it for a long time. Perhaps the fact that it reminded me of the bands I mentioned at the beginning plays its part, as they thrived in the late 90s/early 2000s. Prog/Power Metal that remembers to sound heavy, overflowing with great melodies both in instrumentation and vocals and songs that stay interesting all along, without sounding the same as almost every other album released in its vicinity. Count me in!

85/100

Pavlos Pavlakis   

100: Godsent

90s: Excellent

80s: Very good

70s: Good

60s: Enjoyable

50s: Uninspired

40s: Bad

0s -30s: Unlistenable