Dark Connection Review

Band	Beast in Black
Album	Dark Connection
Type	Album (Studio full-length)
Released	October 29, 2021
Genres	Heavy Metal, Power Metal
Labels	Nuclear Blast
Length	59:18
Ranked	#60 for 2021 , #3,017 all-time

Reviewer :  EFMB15         Rating :  85 / 100

The year is 2049. Flying cars are commonplace. Artificial intelligence has been given the right to vote and Iron Maiden is planning its farewell tour. Brazil has just won its 30th gold medal of the millennium in football. The heavy metal band Beast in Black has made a current album where lasers wave, neon lights create their cold atmosphere and the back seat of airplanes is consumed in the sign of loose relationships between humans and cyborgs.

Anton Kabanen is one of the most advanced song writers of his time, whose pen produces merciless earworms from album to album. "Dark Connection" is Beast in Black's third full-length, and continues directly from where the previous one left off. The mood is fast-paced, and synthwave and barracks pop-style patterns shine through the influences most clearly. This does not surprise anyone even remotely familiar with the band. What is more surprising is that the aforementioned influences are brought out even more brazenly and clearly. And this is a good thing. The music is more synapop flavored with metallic elements than the other way around.

The song material is consistent across the board, with the exception of a few fillers. The opening track "Blade Runner" and the lead single "Moonlight Rendezvous" are shaking the most, the music video of which seems to have a few glimpses of a band that served as a source of inspiration. The tracks are rolled at a breakneck pace, and you won't have time to notice all the hooks and hooks on the first listen.

The expression is fresh and playful, and if anything, it is suitable as a counterbalance to the cold dystopia visions. An interesting additional spice is the bonus track "They Don't Care About Us", which is one of the best Michael Jackson covers ever. The song is yet another excellent demonstration of Yannis Papadópoulos' singing skills.

"Dark Connection" is a strong album, but time will tell if it will have the status of an evergreen. One thing is certain: the work is an unashamed eulogy of retrofuturism from start to finish.