Darkness Dynamite

In January 2007 the French heavy metal band Darkness Dynamite assembled in Paris as a three-piece, later adding two members to reach quintet status ahead of its first EP, Through the Ashes of the Wolves. That recording secured a distribution contract and a string of live dates alongside Job for a Cowboy, the Chariot, and the Horizon. Growing recognition beyond France prompted the group to prepare its first full-length album. Issued in 2009 on Metal Blade, Astonishing Fury of Mankind fused crushing yet melodic strands of metalcore, thrash, and old-school power metal, prompting comparisons to High on Fire, As I Lay Dying, Pantera, and Sepultura.