Album Review: Dark Chapel, Spirit In The Glass

Written By Christian Cole, OOTB Publications

Dario Lorina’s (Black Label Society) new band Dark Chapel has unleashed upon the world their very first studio effort, Spirit in the Glass (MNRK Heavy), and what we get is a heavy, blues laden, and at times, almost grunge first LP.

Spirit in the Glass is laced from the start with some fun riffs, absolutely piping hot guitar solos and so much more.

The vocals lean towards grunge more than anything, the riffage has an undertone of blues that can’t be shaken on nearly every track. It’s dirty, it’s fun and it stands so well on its own from start to finish. Truly captivating.

What I find appealing more than anything (surprisingly enough) are the moments where they rear back and let their guard down.

The slow and somber songs are absolutely phenomenal, and quite a fun contrast to the more fast paced, metal-laden moments. The moments where they slow down and let the music breathe are by far the best.

Dark Chapel channels a grunge sound lost ages ago in such a refreshing way in these more laid back tracks. “Glass Heart” is a beautiful medium, pulling back the speed a little and STILL managing to channel an absolutely gorgeous and searing guitar solo. The balance is truly astounding.

“Dead Weight,” with its slow and dreary piano and crooning grunge vocality, is such a great break away from the rest of the album. It’s bluesy, it’s all encompassing. It nails the name “Dark Chapel” straight home, they take you to church for a moment, and I say that in the most endearing way.

What we’re shown with Spirit in the Glass is a band diverse in taste and capability. We don’t just get a typical metal album, we get a unique and almost jarring experience.

First it envelopes you in chugging riffs and then it takes you somewhere much more special—it’s rare to get such a fun and unique mix from a bands first LP, but that’s exactly it with Dark Chapel.

If you like blues, if you like metal, piano, acoustic ballads, or grunge, then this album is built for you from the ground up.

Favorite Tracks

“Dark Waters”

“Dead Weight”

Rating

4.2/5

Purchase Album

https://mnrkheavy.com/products/dark-chapel-spirit-in-the-glass-cd

Dark Chapel are:

Dario Lorina (vocals, guitar), Brody DeRozie (guitar), Mike Gunn (bass), Luis Silva (drums)

Follow Dark Chapel

https://www.darkchapelband.com