BEAST IN BLACK – Dark Connection

What should one do when they hear the phrase “Beast in Black”? Most of those who listen to Metal would start to sing: Night crawler… Beware the beast in black, Night crawler… You know he’s coming back, Night-craw-ler… nothing like the legendary track off even more legendary album by Judas Priest. Well, it looks like the Beast in Black the song “Night Crawler” is not really one of a kind – because since 2015 there has been yet another Beast in Black… although this one is not really to beware. It is a Finnish band formed by one of the ex-members of Battle Beast and apparently their name was inspired by some Manga, not “Night Crawler”. Or maybe whoever came up with the name was too embarrassed to admit how much they loved Judas Priest or didn’t want to come across as an orthodox fan boi. Who knows. But what can be said for sure is that Beast in Black have only just released their second album… and awesomeness is abound there. So stay tuned because listening to it is a worthwhile experience! Ladies and Gentlemen of Metal, here comes Dark Connection.

The album opens with a track titled “Blade Runner”… and here’s what it is: beautifully epic Power Metal, but with a fair bit of any 8 bit PC game sound to it. This is a really good example of incorporating intense electronic music alongside intense quality Metal… and yet getting away with it, not even that, ending up with some amazing music. There may be a very Painkiller feel to this album – after all Beast in Black do cite Judas Priest as one of their influences – but as soon as the synths strike back with full force… whether it was the guys’ intention or not, these contrasts between Metal and Disco are so conspicuous they’re near grotesque… but that’s probably also what makes the final product so good. On with the show and “Bella Dona” comes in. Yes, whoever wrote this one must have been a fan of Judas Priest too. For those who care about the solos a lot, the ones here are pretty impeccable. The vocals can bring Klaus Meine of Scorpions to mind… at least just a bit. It’s highly likely that this is more or less what Dave Mustaine wished the Megadeth’s 8th release Risk to sound like. It’s hard to say whether the guys at Beast in Black took any risks before recording Dark Connection… but whatever they did, it paid off.

Megadeth is clearly another band that inspires Beast in Black because the next track “Highway to Mars” features a riff that definitely brings the one from “Mastermind” off Cryptic Writings to mind. No, not the intro one, but the breakdown/solo one, the one being way heavier and more kicking. Pure Metal heaviness combined with Disco stuff so cheesy it’s actually good – this combination makes such bands as Alestorm or Gloryhammer sound rather bland. Even when a song is really short like the 4th one titled “Hardcore”, it’s still packed with tons of energy. Fun fact: it really sounds like a song titled “Memu Miastu Na Do Widzenia” and no, it was most likely NOT inspired by that song.

New songs come and go and some of the titles are so beautifully apt. Take “One Night in Tokyo” – who needs “One Night in Bangkok” when “One Night in Tokyo” is a song that could be used to convert non-Metal people to start listening to Metal. It’s easy: that song could be played to drunken Techno fans and they wouldn’t even notice any difference. For all those who wonder what the Metal conquest of cheesy Pop music might look like – wonder no more. Having all those non-Metal exposed to Beast in Black will do the trick. Back to the album, the awesomeness continues up until the 11th track titled “My Dystopia” – and for a reason because compared to the previous tracks it’s really… understated. Still good, just feels a bit like a comedown after ten tracks of high energy Disco/Pop Metal craziness. Same thing about the following song titled “Battle Hymn”. Being so solemn it just doesn’t seem to really fit in really well. But what should one do when the album features 10 Disco Metal songs followed by two less exciting ones? Add a cover of “They Don’t Care About Us” by Michael Jackson to it – and everything’s sorted.

Overall, Dark Connection is definitely one of the hottest releases of the 2021st year after the alleged birth of that guy called Jesus. Having listened to the whole thing, one thought may cross more than one person’s head: What if the guys from Beast in Black took a very unique strategy to spread Metal across the planet? Here’s how every Metal loving person who happens to have a partner who… begs to differ as far as Metal goes… well, they can show them Beast in Black and say: look, here’s something that’s a mix of your music and my music. And they will love it straight away. If they however don’t… then it is a clear sign for that Metal-loving person that they probably need to organize some changes in their life just like said in “Wildest Dreams” off Dance of Death by Iron Maiden… and the change being the number one priority should be finding a new partner.