Category:
Metal

Try if you like:
Fall Of Troy, Helmet, Prong, Sevendust

•   Sorry

For an unsigned band, the Dominican Republic’s Darkmiracle sure have gotten a lot of press. Not only popular at home, where they have been among the most successful at bringing American Alt-Rock to a Hispanic audience, they seem to be popping up wherever there is an unsigned band contest, such as ours. Their debut would seem to be a great fit for any small label, as the band cranks out solid melodic punk with a touch of emo, most often provided by vocalist Robbie Cabrel. While the band’s passion and penchant for solid hooks ought to help them continue their bid for success, all is not perfect.

With their album A Better Tomorrow, songs like the opener, “Lost,” and “Thank You” are problematic, wavering between solid, confident ideas and a reaching for a radio-friendly sound. Ditch the emo and kick out the jams. While the erratic performance is to be expected for a young band, too often Darkmiracle sound like they are trying to fit what originality they have into a formula. The punchy and punky “Letters” is an example of how they can exploit and twist modern rock clichés to their own advantage.

Other tracks that offer hope and show the band’s confidence are “Cold & Anxious,” which has a nice trip-hop beat, acoustic guitar driven piece, with lyrics that are believable, if angst-ridden Romantic; the strings wear thin eventually, but are a nice touch early on, giving the tune an epic feel, and “The Drama,” better during its power-popish break than in the choppy, kind of typical screamo stanzas; better to keep to the hooks, which are plentiful, than falling back on the easy and formulaic. Cabrel’s vocals in his natural register has a kind of raw, sensitive tone; when he goes for the obligatory cookie-monster it doesn’t work. “Parasite” explores some 80’s prog grooves, and works most of the time, showing that the band isn’t afraid to stretch out of its comfort zone. In all, this would be a solid debut for any young band trying to make it onto MTV2 or MuchMusic. While they fall back on what they’ve heard working for successful bands in the genre rather than trust their own instincts may just be a matter or maturity. Darkmiracle have given us enough to go on with A Better Tomorrow, and here’s to better days for them.