Musical Style: Gothic Doom Metal	Produced By:
Record Label: Lament	Country Of Origin: Macedonia
Year Released: 2024	Artist Website: My Darkest Time
Tracks: 7	Rating: 75%
Running Time: 51:17

Hybrid metal defines as amalgamating manifold hard music styles to produce a unified whole.  Nowhere does the hybrid metal label better apply than Skopje, Macedonia based My Darkest Time, whom aligns a foundation of Gothic rock with strong leanings towards doom, symphonic and progressive metal.  Gothic in terms of how the group creates an introspective landscape home to classical instrumentation and orchestration but doom like in light of deliberate riffing, epic vestiges and emphasizing of the musical swarthy.  The My Darkest Time progressiveness reveals in its lengthy songwriting penchant and symphonic side from standpoint of its ethereal keyboards and soprano female lead vocals.

The My Darkest Time Lament Records sixth full-length album Fragile from February of 2024 stays true to similar hybrid metal themes from mirroring similar diverse musical nuances.  It is not that far removed from the groups previous efforts to include first three albums End Of My Darkest Time (2008), My Thoughts (2010) and Transient (2012) but also 80% Angelic Warlord reviewed fourth effort The Last (2016) and most recent offering Dawn (2018).  Where Fragile separates, however, is by placing greater emphasis on the progressive in that each of its tracks is in the seven to eight minute range.

My Darkest Time remains the project of founding member Zarko Atanasov, whom continues to expertly handle all instrumentation in the form of guitars, bass, keyboards, and drum programming.  Joining Zarko is spouse and lead vocalist Marina Atanasov with her aptitude for walking a fine line between the elegant and atmospheric and that somber and profound.  The group builds upon its versatility with a ‘beauty and the beast’ approach found in lower register male vocalist Martin Atanasov.

“New Era” represents quintessential hybrid metal.  It starts bleakly in plodding piano driven fashion over its instrumental first minute with the stark mood lightening as Marina takes over with her airy, soprano form.  She is soon joined by Martin with is contrastingly courser if not rawer edged style.  The pair trade off moving ahead as the song maintains its Gothic at times orchestral at others doom like themes over its final half.  Lyric snippet:

It seems as the end is near
We lost love and compassion
Nature is turning against us
What is left to be destroyed

Child against a father
Mother against a daughter
Nothing is holy in a world
That goes mad

“Keep Us” maintains the mournful accent but heavier with impactful rhythm guitar aligning with classical instrumentation and double kick drum.  It gradually gains force over its opening instrumental two minutes, settling down for its atmospheric opening verses as the bereft landscape maintains over dual harmony vocals to speak of the fervent.  I enjoy the instrumental minute taking place over the songs final half to see orchestration and feedback calmly take precedence.  Lyric snippet:

O God, Lord Jesus Christ
O hear our call and guard and save us
From them all

Be our souls preserver
O God for You know
Through which we have to go

Aptly entitled “My Sorrows” is one of albums lengthiest at eight minutes.  It is also one of the heaviest, as forward guitars join with piano as Martin takes a lead vocal role alongside Marina’s sweeping croon.  Copious instrumental moments of a doom-ish nature highlight albums clean production in which the symphonic instrumentation cleanly separates.  Lyric snippet:

Almighty God, Oh My Lord
Save my soul
By the power of the Spirit
Hear my prayer, give me solace

Hear me and keep me from all evil
Do not enter into judgement of Your servant
Save my soul

At this point it deserves note how My Darkest Time invites comparison to contemporaries Tristania, Theatre Of Tragedy and Trail Of Tears with a similar female and male vocal approach.  Whereas the as noted reinforce extreme male vocals, My Darkest Time takes an in between stance in that Martin’s delivery might not be smooth and melodic but sidesteps any extreme aggression.  That said there are times I found his rougher and courser delivery strained if not on the flat side.  I also do not wish to be unfairly harsh and perhaps it is a matter of taste, but I would much rather prefer more range on the upper end of things from a male vocal standpoint while maintaining the lower register priorities (somewhat akin to Chaz Bond of Biogenesis).

“Momento Mori” separates as one of albums most forthright.  Whereas I hesitate to use the term up-tempo, song is distinctive to unabashed momentum found in metal signatures to the lengthy instrumental opening home to skillfully done guitar leads.  It maintains the decisive disposition its span as periodic double kick drum and piano weave in, further elevating the haunting refrain laced with female vocal harmonies.  One of my favorite bands Veni Domine comes to mind.  Lyric snippet:

We only have time
Our lives are so short
The end is near

We sleep and time goes by
Then we are awake but yet
We turn our hearts to things that our vain
To vanity

The focused form carries over to “Don’t Leave”, another elevated doom-laced piece inherent to break overtures in the form of stern guitars and occasional slower passages to highlight acoustic guitar and piano.  It makes for a compelling at times disconsolate and others contrastingly angelic environment.  Lone downturn, and again this is personal taste as opposed to critique, is manner in which male lead vocals take a predominant role- I find it works best when the softer tone of Marina offsets that sharper to Martin.  Lyric snippet:

Lord help us
Fighting the enemy
So even if the hell fall above us
We must be great

Don't pay attention
To the earthly things
Break the chains
Of lust and envy

Second eight minute cut “Dwell In Us” reinforces equally parts assertive and tranquil.  It works in that the song strikes a better balance between the male and female lead vocal trade off, with former taking the lead during uplifted obtrusive moments and latter moving to the forefront for melancholic passages to see classical instrumentation hold sway.  Overall, such variances help make this one of my album favorites.  Lyric snippet:

Our hearts were made for You
And they are restless
Until they rest in You

As our ears hear each other voices
So do God's ears hear our thoughts
He knows all

I identify with “Above Us” as albums most progressive in terms of manifold time signatures.  It begins to a starting instrumental interlude with melodic guitars and jazzy bass.  Subsequent to a short verse, the song moves on to a lengthy instrumental stretch that initially slows to a crawl ahead of crushing rhythm guitar taking over.  Strategic female and male vocals trade off rest of the way interspersed with occasional turns to the instrumental.  Lyric snippet:

Be with us on this day
For in times of troubles
We have no other help
No one but You

Now that the day
Has come to an end
I have no other help
But You

Fragile is an album in which I remain on the fence.  I applaud the hybrid metal direction traversing Gothic, doom, symphonic and in particular progressive territory from how I applaud My Darkest Time for extending its material into the seven to eight minute range.  Production and musicianship are high quality, while I embrace the soprano female vocals.  That said, I struggle with the ‘rough and tumble’ male vocals, which while I hesitate to critique are not my cup of tea in that I would have preferred a smoother, melodic direction mixed with periodic aggression.  Still, if a fan of any of the musical styles presented - I can see fans of Biogenesis, Veni Domine and Saviour Machine embracing My Darkest Time – I encourage you to give Fragile strong consideration.

Review by Andrew Rockwell

Track Listing: “New Era” (7:09), “Keep Us” (7:38), “My Sorrows” (7:43), “Momento Mori” (7:14), “Don’t Leave” (7:03), “Dwell In Us” (7:51), “Above Us” (6:59)

Musicians
Zarko Atanasov - Guitars, Bass, Keyboards & Drum Programming
Marina Atanasov - Lead Vocals
Martin Atanasov - Lead Vocals