Darkwater

Darkwater, a progressive metal quintet from Sweden, shapes an intensely melodic identity through elaborate yet hook-driven song constructions, with the soaring clear tenor vocals of guitarist Henrik Båth consistently marking them as distinct among European contemporaries. The band issues recordings only at wide intervals, devoting years to refining album content, as shown by the nearly decade-long span separating the acclaimed Where Stories End from Human. Their dual guitar- and keyboard-centered approach delivers lush textures that frequently blend heaviness with orchestral dramatic scope.

The group originated in 2003 in western Sweden. Its lineup—Båth handling vocals and guitars, Magnus Holmberg on keyboards, Markus Sigfridsson on guitars, Tobias Enbert on drums, and Karl Wassholm on bass—spent four years developing a signature style through just a handful of Swedish performances. Toward the close of 2006 they began composing and arranging what became their self-funded 2007 debut Calling the Earth to Witness, which they presented to Sweden’s respected metal label Ulterium Records; the imprint subsequently extracted four singles that expanded the band’s reach at home and elsewhere in Europe.

Issued in May, the album earned uniformly favorable notices, its fluid fusion of harmonic and progressive metal satisfying an evident appetite across the European scene. Although drawing influence from American acts such as Dream Theater and Symphony X as well as Gothenburg’s Evergrey, Darkwater forged a balanced sound that remained distinctly their own. In addition to European live dates supporting the release, they filmed a music video for the track “The Play II” and traveled in June to their first North American appearance at the Bay Area Rock Fest, sharing the bill with Liquid Tension Experiment, Jeff Scott Soto, and others.

Wassholm exited in 2009 and was succeeded by ex-Pain of Salvation bassist Simon Andersson. Between April and September 2010 Darkwater recorded, mixed, and mastered the album Where Stories End while also producing a music video for its opening track and first single, “Breathe.” The set leaned more heavily into progressive textures without relinquishing the band’s characteristic weight. It received stronger reviews than its predecessor, which in turn generated further touring opportunities; the members embraced these like road veterans, logging years on the road with only brief respites. In September 2011 they joined the 12th edition of ProgPower USA, continued across the United States afterward, and then reached the U.K., where they impressed crowds while supporting Opeth and Amaranthe.

Spring 2013 brought word that writing had begun on a third album slated for 2015, yet creative obstacles, the band’s habitual perfectionism, tour schedules, and personal matters caused repeated postponements. Only at the start of 2019 did the record finally appear. Titled Human, the self-produced effort presented songs that were simultaneously heavier, more melodic, and more multi-layered in atmosphere than anything preceding it; its ten tracks, totaling over 76 minutes, were mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe). Ulterium released Human at the beginning of March, nearly ten years after Where Stories End, after which the band launched a world tour.