From Dark to Dank

Nestling somewhere between metalcore and screamo/post-hardcore, From Dark sounds a lot like a bunch of other bands you've probably heard: The Used, Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold, Underoath, Thrice, and Senses Fail, to name a few. The formula? Spiraling, melodic guitars; dissonant lyrics; steady drum rhythms; and vocals that alternate between singing and screaming. From Dark's album takes its title from the ravenous zombie film 28 Days Later (a flick that also influenced local metal band Greeley Estates), and lyrically, the title track is all angst-ridden desolation, as singer Dustin Bolin screeches about "the bane of our existence," "the brink of this obscurity," and our "loveless nature." Musically, the tracks show some promise — the inclusion of a violin (check the end of "Blowtorch and a Pair of Pliers") is a brilliant way to break out of the fast/slow/fast pack of modern metal bands, and the sparkling instrumentation and burly breakdowns in "Maleficient" highlight From Dark's dexterity. Producer Byron Filson (Blessedbethyname, Eroticide, Ikonoklast) does a stellar job of capturing the band's crunchier-sounding side, but for the most part, The Answer to Infection retreads tired ground and many of the tracks are indistinguishable from one another.
Fri., Oct. 31, 7 p.m., 2008