One quick search for Blackbriar on youtube and a swathe of videos, clips and posts might make you think that this can’t possibly be only their second album. But a prodigious social media presence does not mean a wealth of albums, it just means that as a band you’re keen to get your name out there. Their debut came out back in 2021 when pandemic restrictions were still proving problematic, but this didn’t stop the band attracting the attention of Nuclear Blast, enabling them to build on the successful song-writing of their debut and push their sound further on their sophomore album.
The mighty Blast have certainly heard something they find desirable about this Dutch Symphonic Gothic Metal/Rock band, and there’s certainly much to like. Personally I hear the band’s ability to take Within Temptation’s classic “Mother Earth” sound, full of ethereal magic and atmosphere and blend it with elements of a modern, more forward thinking Symphonic Metal attitude similar to…well, Within Temptation…OK, there’s a lot of Within Temptation about Blackbriar, but they are no clones and being influenced by one of the biggest Metal bands your home country has produced is more than forgivable. Besides, it’s just an influence, because Blackbriar don’t sound exactly like Within Temptation past or present, they just have elements of both.
Plus you need to have the talent to pull this all off, which thankfully Blackbriar do. Musically the songs have an underlying heaviness with plenty of symphonic drama, dark gothic tendencies and hints of folk around the edges. Vocally Zora Cock crowns the whole thing off perfectly, presenting each track with a Sharon den Adel confidence and vocal dexterity. The songs aren’t instantly ‘catchy’ per say, they’re very melodic with hints of melancholy alongside progressive touches, but the album is a grower, expertly crafted in this way to give depth and atmosphere to the professional arrangements.
With the considerable talents of Joost van den Broek handling the production, the whole album has the weighty-but-shiny quality that it needs to fulfil its potential. This album is a resounding step forward for the band as they hone their style and start to forge their own identity. So if you have a hankering to hear the classic Gothic Metal stylings of early Xandria, Flowing Tears, Darkwell and the like, brought up to date with a dark Symphonic Metal approach intertwined with folk-tinged melodies, then I heartily recommend Blackbriar…but that’s maybe a bit niche, so more concisely if you want to hear a rather fine dark, atmospheric Gothic/Symphonic Metal album, then “A Dark Euphony” is well worth a listen.
(8/10 Andy Barker)
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