Dark Connection
| Dark Connection | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 October 2021 | |||
| Studio | Sound Quest Studio, Amethyst Sound Productions | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:48 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Anton Kabanen | |||
| Beast in Black chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dark Connection | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Blabbermouth.net | 8/10[1] |
| Metal Storm | 9.0/10[2] |
| Sonic Perspectives | 8.9/10[3] |
Dark Connection is the third studio album by Finnish power metal band Beast in Black, released on 29 October 2021. Similar to their debut album Berserker, several songs reference well known science fiction series like Blade Runner with several songs containing direct references to the anime Armitage III. The album charted well, ranking number one in their home country, and did well in Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany.[4] Four videos were produced for the tracks "Moonlight Rendezvous", "Hardcore", "One Night in Tokyo" and "Blade Runner". The album was dedicated to Kentaro Miura, the author of Berserk after his death earlier that year.
Reception
Upon its release, Dark Connection was praised by critics. Blabbermouth.net spoke positively on the release, mentioning that it is "bursting with absolutely blistering riffs and guitar work", combined with "deeply infectious vocal work and choruses", concluding that "At the end of the day, in terms of art and creativity, Beast in Black has hit the ball out of the park with album number three."[1]
Sonic Perspectives praised it, commenting: "Having been at the forefront of bringing the worlds of melodic metal and 80s post-disco/synth pop together for the past decade, former Battle Beast guitarist and mastermind Anton Kabanen, and his current fold of veteran metal warriors, usher in their latest studio venture in effortless fashion, proving that what is old can indeed become new."[3] Games, Brains & a Headbanging Life called it a very satisfying listen, besides a few tracks that don't have as much oomph as others. It's "one that shows just how much they've grown and just how bright their future is."[5] A reviewer from Metal Storm praised it, and stated it as being the bands strongest album yet; Praising all aspects such as performance, production, overall sound, and album cohesion.[2] MetalMusicPlanet deemed it as being "Absolutely essential listening for fans of the genre and for anyone who just loves any kind of melodic Rock or Metal music."[6]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Anton Kabanen, except where stated
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Blade Runner" | 4:07 |
| 2. | "Bella Donna" | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Highway to Mars" | 5:13 |
| 4. | "Hardcore" | 3:34 |
| 5. | "One Night in Tokyo" | 3:07 |
| 6. | "Moonlight Rendezvous" | 5:38 |
| 7. | "Revengeance Machine" | 4:09 |
| 8. | "Dark New World" | 3:57 |
| 9. | "To the Last Drop of Blood" | 3:55 |
| 10. | "Broken Survivors" | 4:25 |
| 11. | "My Dystopia" | 5:51 |
| Total length: | 47:48 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Battle Hymn" (Manowar cover) | Joey DeMaio, Ross Friedman | 6:54 |
| 13. | "They Don't Care About Us" (Michael Jackson cover) | Michael Jackson | 4:32 |
| Total length: | 59:14 | ||
Personnel
Beast in Black
- Yannis Papadopoulos – lead vocals
- Anton Kabanen – guitars, backing vocals, keyboards
- Kasperi Heikkinen – guitars
- Máté Molnár – bass
- Atte Palokangas – drums
Additional personnel
- Cynthia – keyboards
- Mikael Salo – backing vocals
- Paolo Ribaldini – backing vocals
Production
- Anton Kabanen – production, recording, mixing, orchestration
- Roman Ismailov – artwork
- Yannis Papadopoulos – mixing (assistant)
- Jarmo Katila – photography
- Toni Kilpinen – photography (editing)
- Emil Pohjalainen – mastering
- Janne Peltonen – layout
Charts
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] | 16 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] | 144 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] | 168 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] | 1 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[11] | 165 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] | 13 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] | 31 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] | 53 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] | 11 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[16] | 7 |
References
- ^ a b Jay H. Gorania (25 October 2021). "Beast in Black Dark Connection". Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Beast In Black - Dark Connection review". 25 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ a b Jonathan Smith (28 October 2021). "Beast In Black – Dark Connection (Album Review)". Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Dark Connection by Beast In Black - Music Charts". ACharts.co. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ Carl Fisher (25 October 2021). "Album Review: Beast in Black – Dark Connection (Nuclear Blast)". Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ Andy Hawes (22 October 2021). "Album Review : Beast In Black: Dark Connection". Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Beast in Black – Dark Connection" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Beast in Black – Dark Connection" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Beast in Black – Dark Connection" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Beast in Black: Dark Connection" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Beast in Black – Dark Connection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Beast in Black – Dark Connection" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Beast in Black – Dark Connection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Beast in Black – Dark Connection". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
External links
Official music videos
