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Mind Pollution

    
       
       
       
     
             
Dark Secret are a heavy metal band from the USA formed in 2017, releasing their self titled debut E.P. in 2021, and debut album 'Mind Pollution' in 2024.    
             
Founded by guitarist Mark Shea and bassist Al Wojtonek, the bands line-up is completed by drummer Lou Barkley, guitarist Brian Steele, and vocalist Jeff Emilio - 'Mind Pollution' featring nine songs and forty six minutes of thrashy heavy metal. And when I say thrashy, I mean so thrashy that the band have one foot in thrash metal territory, the other very much glued to the old school, traditional heavy metal monitor to deliver a genre spanning album that's gonna attract both metallers and thrashers to the bands soundscape!    
             
Setting 'Mind Pollution' on its way, 'Nephilim' slowly wanders in with a menacing aura, building a tension filled atmosphere which at a minute and a half explodes into life with a big bish bash bosh, 'Nephilim' roaring on at one hell of a thundering gallop! The heaviness here is incredible, the ground shuddering as the band use every ounce of fire and brimstone to deliver a traditional come thrash metal onslaught! The title song 'Mind Pollution' maintains the heavy attitude, maybe even heavier, Dark Secret very much in your face across the albums opening brace, the thunderous foot stomping more like a thunderous trot - the groove metal riffing a fucking gorgeous sound to whet the appetites of everyone! And the appetites are only gonna get wetter as 'Chronicles Of Sarah' enters the fray with an alternative kind of Grungy feel, Dark Secret crossing a multitude of genre boundaries here to deliver variation in abundance! Yet the band keep one foot firmly in heavy metal territory, Dark Secret not prepared to completely pull up their metal roots.    
             
And after three fairly mid tempo heavy foot stompers, the band press the pedal to the metal for the up tempo and immensely energetic 'Patriarchs Of Science', the level of head bang ability rising right through the roof as Dark Secret inject a little bit of oomph and a tonne of gusto! The pace here is more akin to the classic traditional metal gallop, the heaviness though is straight outta thrash metal territory, the band maintaining their genre straddling stance - 'Dirty War' driving forward with even more gusto and energy than the previous song! The band are in full flight right now, every listener, fan and follower vigorously rocking their heads back and forth to this one, all the while grinning from ear to ear and punching the air in pure delight! The best song on offer so far by the proverbial country mile, 'Mind Pollution' (the album) storms on with the very heavy 'Seal The Deal'. So heavy in fact, the band are bending the space time continuum, Dark Secret delving deep to deliver an anthemic thunder stomp with just a smidgeon of doom metal!    
             
Returning the iconic metal gallop to the fore, 'Love Runs Deep' marches on like it's nineteen eighty four all over again, Dark Secret oozing a phenomenal old school sound - yet the band are not retro in any way shape or form, there's plenty of modern day touches to keep the bands music new and fresh! And the chorus break during 'Love Runs Deep' is so melodic, infectious and catchy, it's gonna have everyone everywhere singing along! Kudos Dark Secret, kudos. There's just no escaping the overwhelming heaviness on show, the band remaining steadfast at the heavier end of the metal genre, 'If' a fierce and feisty thrash metal romp with an in your face attitude and a backdrop that sounds like a rolling thunderstorm! And if by chance any non metallers are listening, they're gonna be praying for silence - which isn't gonna happen just yet as there's still another song to come! 'Silence' brings 'Mind Pollution' (the album) to a close with an air of balladry come hymn-like serenity - for about a minute and a half anyway, the band resuming the uncompromising heaviness of everything heard up to this point, Dark Secret offering doom and menace, stomping and strutting, as well as blistering speed - 'Silence' exploding into life after four minutes to give every head banger one last opportunity for some serious head banging!    
             
Overall, a very heavy thrash come traditional metal rampage with a thunder, fire and brimstone attitude and tonnes of head bang ability.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for The Metallist PR    
             
             
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