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WHERE STORIES END

Darkwater

Progressive Metal


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Darkwater Where Stories End album cover
3.70 | 99 ratings | 7 reviews | 21% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 2010

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Breathe (4:37)
2. Why I Bleed (8:15)
3. Into The Cold (6:30)
4. A Fools Utopia (5:43)
5. Queen Of The Night (6:11)
6. In The Blink Of An Eye (6:09)
7. Fields Of Sorrow (6:38)
8. Without A Sound (6:50)
9. Walls Of Deception (6:51)

Total time 57:44

Line-up / Musicians

- Henrik Båth / vocals, guitar
- Markus Sigfridsson / lead & rhythm guitars
- Magnus Holmberg / keyboards
- Simon Andersson / bass
- Tobias Enbert / drums

Releases information

Artwork: Markus Sigfridsson

CD Ulterium Records ‎- ULTCD016 (2010, Sweden)

Digital album

Thanks to J-Man for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
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DARKWATER Where Stories End ratings distribution


3.70
(99 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(21%)
21%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(41%)
41%
Good, but non-essential (28%)
28%
Collectors/fans only (6%)
6%
Poor. Only for completionists (4%)
4%

DARKWATER Where Stories End reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by J-Man
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Another Great Swedish Prog Metal Album

Darkwater is one of those bands where, even though they don't bring anything revolutionary to their respective genre, they still manage to be incredibly impressive. Where Stories End is the second album from this Swedish group, and impressive it is! Every song is filled with hooks that grab you from the very beginning and depth that will keep you coming back for more and more. Sweden is a nation filled to the brim with superb progressive metal bands - I think it's time to put Darkwater up there with the best of the best. Lush keyboards, chugging guitar riffs, and soaring vocal harmonies all paint a perfect landscape on Where Stories End. Although there are a few small setbacks on this album, they are paled in comparison to the positives to be found in this hidden gem. There have been a lot of great progressive metal albums in 2010, and this is surely among the best of them.

Darkwater plays traditional progressive metal in the vein of Fates Warning and Dream Theater, and to a lesser extent, early Pain of Salvation and Queensr˙che. No, this isn't the most unique list of influences in the world, but it definitely works. Darkwater's sound is modern and fresh, yet still pays homages to some progressive metal classics. There's a lot of synths on Where Stories End, which can be or a good thing or a bad thing, pending on your own tastes. I personally really like the keyboards, but I can understand them sounding "cheesy" to some people. I think they sound great, however. There are 9 songs on Where Stories End, and all of them are terrific. My favorite is probably Why I Bleed. I absolutely love the chorus to that song. Every song is noteworthy, though. Without a Sound is also a really cool track.

The musicianship is terrific. An interesting little thing worth noting is the presence of Simon Andersson (ex-Pain of Salvation) on bass due to the departure of Karl Wassholm. Henrik Båth's vocals are fantastic, and one of the highlights of Darkwater for me. He simply has a great tone and terrific range. Magnus Holmberg's keyboards add just the right amount of atmosphere into Darkwater's music, allowing for Markus Sigfridsson to provide heavy riffing or terrific solos. Tobias Enbert's drumming is on the simpler side for a prog metal album, but that doesn't mean it's any less enjoyable. He does a great job as well.

The production is a bit too raw at times, but it generally sounds really good. Thankfully, this isn't one of those annoying over-produced prog metal albums.

Conclusion:

I was really surprised by Where Stories End. I was expecting an average progressive metal album, but it turned out that this is actually excellent. If Darkwater could develop a slightly more distinguishable sound, I could see them becoming one of the bigger names in prog metal. As it stands, this is one of the best prog metal albums to come out this year. If you like the genre and are looking for a really great modern release, Where Stories End should be high on your priority list. This is a BIG 4 star rating from me.

Review by BrufordFreak
COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars A little too heavy for me, yet I can see the attraction: like a more refined, more technically proficient and creative though heavier JOURNEY or LOVERBOY, BLACK SABBATH, 38 SPECIAL even a little bit of DEF LEPPARD. The keyboards and frequent tempo changes make this music stand out. The moments when there is an absence of guitar chords--where the voice and keyboards get to really stand out (e.g. "Why I Bleed," "In the Blink of an Eye," "Without a Sound"--are the moments that really show this band's special talents. So, while heavy and metal prog are not really my cup of tea, I begrudge no one their enjoyment of this music. It's very well constructed, very well performed, interesting, and often melodic. 3.5 stars. To me, it just doesn't sound new or different enough to warrant four stars.
Review by colorofmoney91
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars I generally don't listen to a lot of progressive metal, but this album, Where Stories End, is just superb.

Something that usually turns me off of progressive metal bands are their tendency to be unbearably technical for no good reason other than for the sake of technicality, which is something that Darkwater seems to have eschewed from their sound. This album is full of wonderfully crafted, memorable, and catchy progressive metal with a few hints of technical prowess shown only at the right moments. Another thing that this band has that other progressive metal bands sometimes lack is a great vocalist. Henrik Båth has some great pipes, and he never uses his vocals for the prog metal banshee effect. The only other progressive metal band that I'm familiar with is Dream Theater (duh, c'mon...), and I'm thinking that I actually prefer this Darkwater album over most of DT's work for all of the above reasons. If you feel similar, then this album should be very comfortable. Another plus concerning this album is the atmospheric symphonic keyboard touches that really give this music an epic and spatial feel.

Definitely one of the better prog metal releases I've heard over the past few years. Highly recommended, and a great example of the road that progressive metal should continue on.

Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars 3.5 stars. "Where Stories End" is DARKWATER's followup to the amazing debut, and it's regarded by most to be just as good as the first one and I think it's close but...while I felt the debut ran out of steam part way through then picked back up this one has even more of those average sounding tracks but only a couple more. So yeah i've enjoyed this for the most part but the excitement I had with their debut didn't happen at all here. More of the same I suppose, plus i've been listening to a lot of DAY SIX's latest which for me is a better Prog-Metal album and it's hard not to compare when i'm listening to them during the same week.

"Breathe" opens with synths but it turns heavy quickly.Vocals after a minute. A good start. "Why I Bleed" opens with strings then it kicks in.Vocals before 2 minutes. I'm just not feeling it with these first two tracks.Strings end it. "Into The Cold" has a good heavy sound with an orchestral flavour though.Vocals after a minute.The best part of this track is the instrumental section beginning before 4 minutes. A calm follows but not for long.Vocals are back before 6 minutes. "A Fool's Utopia" opens with piano then a heavier sound rolls in followed by vocals.This is a good one.

"Queen Of The Night" is heavy to start as synths join in. I like the atmosphere after 3 minutes. A nice heavy soundscape follows. Excellent tune. "In The Blink Of An Eye" is another heavy track and the guitar sounds great 4 minutes in. Keys a minute later. Atmosphere before 6 minutes to end it. "Fields Of Sorrow" opens with atmosphere as it builds to a heavy sound.Vocals after a minute. It settles back 3 minutes in. It slows down after 4 1/2 minutes but it's still heavy then it picks back up.

"Without A Sound" opens with piano then things turn heavy. Lots of synths and heaviness before 4 minutes. Piano only 5 minutes in then it kicks back in. "Walls Of Deception" is another heavy tune but it's not as good as the last five.

3.5 stars because it's just not doing much for me. I don't look forward to playing this one like I did with the debut.

Latest members reviews

3 stars Out of the many European moderately progressive metal bands, Darkwater's Where Stories End is one of the most accessible albums. In fact, I can imagine a metal head taking his girlfriend, who is more into goth or new wave, to the show. Don't worry, boy, the band is technically proficient. Don't ... (read more)

Report this review (#1056418) | Posted by Progrussia | Tuesday, October 8, 2013 | Review Permanlink

5 stars You know that album in your head, the one you just don't have the talent to make real, well it appears that Swedens Darkwater have been rummaging around in my head because this is as close to the music i would make given the talent. Opener "Breathe" is everything an an album opener should be. ... (read more)

Report this review (#418193) | Posted by devox | Saturday, March 19, 2011 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Think Redemption, Thunderstone, Pagan's Mind and Blaze Bayley (on a good day) and you'll get a good idea of the overall sound. Bold, melodic, complex mid-paced rock/metal played with astonishing technical skill and passion. This is my kind of music! What makes this album special are the often ... (read more)

Report this review (#396840) | Posted by moochie | Tuesday, February 8, 2011 | Review Permanlink

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