Allagash – Dark Future
November 4th, 2022
Speed Metal
Independently Released
St. John’s, Newfoundland
I have been a huge fan of Allagash ever since the release of their first self-titled record all the way back in 2016. Since then I’ve been obsessed with their brand of cold, melancholic, and epic speed metal that reaches back to the past to forge something unique in the present. Dark Future, the band’s third full length record, dropped suddenly and unexpectedly earlier this year, with next to no promotion surrounding the record. Obviously as soon as I saw the link pop up on social media I immediately jumped in and have been listening to it pretty consistently since the release date in early November.
Dark Future is in fact a re-recording of an album that was released back in 2017 which the band unfortunately decided to remove from public viewing. I’ll never understand why that was done since that version of Dark Future has had some of my favourite tracks Allagash has ever written within its runtime, but I’m happy that those songs have seen the light of day once more, albeit with updated production and a few additions to the tracklist.
As always the band keeps things cold and sinister. Listening to this record feels like you’re stuck in the walls of some alien vessel. The hallways are freezing cold to the touch and clinical and sterile in their aesthetic. It feels like you’re being caroused through the stars against your will by a race of strange alien beings for whom your worst nightmares are their scientific study. There’s just something about the riff writing and the atmosphere of these songs that does a perfect job encapsulating that creepy but at the same time wondrous narrative experience of alien abduction and the realization that extraterrestrials have been visiting Earth for centuries.
These songs which are mostly composed by Trevor Leonard, aka ‘The Sumerian’, feature some absolutely mesmerizing riffs. Perhaps its this guy’s background in black metal that affords him a unique take on 80’s speed metal, but they’re simultaneously melancholy and epic. The main riff from “Intruders” for example is 100% a melodic death metal riff, like something you’d hear performed by At the Gates or even Amon Amarth in their heyday. It’s so huge and colossal, and it genuinely gives me chills when I hear it. Other songs, like the title track, are very slow and atmospheric at first, drawing upon that black metal edge like some of the slower cuts from a band like Gorgoroth, while layering squealing and soaring solos over the top of it. It’s magnificent to behold.
Vocalist Regan Ryan, aka ‘Mooncrawler’, is as beastly as he has always been on this release. His vocals have a very unique quality to them that is hard to describe, but ever since I first heard them on the band’s debut I’ve adored the way he sounds against the backdrop of Leonard’s compositions. He’s the perfect fit for this band. There’s also somebody else who does some harsher backing vocals on this record. They’re not harsh in the sense of being death or black metal vocals, more so drawing upon the more extreme ends of thrash metal to produce a snarling rasp that still retains a slight simulacrum of melody. It’s great and contrasts Ryan’s vocals well, without overstaying their welcome.
The bass, provided by new member ‘The Harvester’, who joined the band earlier this year, I believe, isn’t as present as I’d like it to be, save for the band’s awesome cover of “Critical Mass” by Nuclear Assault, which is a badass song to cover. The band did an awesome job, but I love how heavy and thick the bass comes through on this song. It’s so crunchy and loud and in your face, and The Harvester absolutely nailed his performance of this crossover classic. I just wish he was more present or standout on the other songs on here.
This record also features long time drummer Jon Singleton, aka ‘Entity’, behind the kit, and he sounds as great as always. The drums in particular on this album sound excellent. There’s a lot of meat in the rolls and the fills, though the kick drum sounds a slight bit too triggered for my liking. In terms of Singleton’s performance I have little to say. The guy is a fantastic drummer, and always has been. He adds a lot of different styles throughout this record, transitioning from fast, one-two thrash beats like on the title track, or keeping things slow. In particular he’s great at coming up with cool double-bass patterns, as evidenced by the beginning of “Nightmare Hall”.
The production on this record is where people seem to have the most complaints, and I have to say I partially agree. The drums sound great aside from the bass drum, as previously mentioned, but it does feel like the guitars are a bit washed out. There are sections where the leads or the solos feel a bit too quiet, as if they’re struggling to come out over the rhythm guitar and the bass. The vocals feel a bit drowned out as well, and I sometimes find myself struggling to hear what exactly Ryan is saying. I like the reverb on the vocals but in this instance it might be a case of too much reverb on every instrument involved. That being said the production doesn’t affect how I feel about the record to such a degree that I’m turned off from listening to it.
This is, when all is said and done, another fantastic effort from one of St. John’s’ longest running traditional heavy metal outfits. Allagash have always delivered the goods and Dark Future is no different. Without a doubt this is one of my favourite records to come out of Newfoundland and Labrador this year. I’m so stoked that these songs which I loved so much back in 2017 and thought were lost forever, have finally been returned to their rightful place. This has potential to be album of the year material for Heavy NFLD.
Final Verdict: 9/10
Awesome
Favourite Tracks:
“Destroyer of Dreams”
“Hostile Territory”
“Intruders”
“Dark Future”
“Alien Evasion”
~ Akhenaten
HeavyNFLD 
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