DARK CHAPEL – Spirit In The Glass (Album Review)

Liturgical sludge rocks the house.

It is said that the apple tends not to fall far from the tree, and while Black Label Society’s decade-long co-shredder Dario Lorina may not be Zakk Wylde Jr., one might suspect a familial tie between the two based on how the former approaches his craft via his latest project dubbed Dark Chapel.

Drawing upon a similar blend of southern rock, groove metal and a slight sludge aesthetic, this undertaking presents more as a band in the collective sense rather than a solo project, yet one can’t help but note Lorina’s status as the driving force and dominant personality within the fold.

Undertaking both guitar and lead vocal duties, alongside the piano and keyboard work that graces several of the songs, Dario essentially stamps his name onto every moment of this quartet’s seamlessly-crafted debut entry Spirit In The Glass; injecting what one might dub a liturgical flavor into a sub-genre of heavy metal that is already noted for its spiritual character.

One would be remiss not to note that this album is the consequence of the handiwork of four highly skilled instrumentalists. Alongside Lorina in the guitar department is the 6-string work of Brody DeRozie, best known as the touring guitarist of ex-Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach, allowing for a multi-faceted blend of dueling guitar parts that make for rich dueling harmonies, contrasting riffs and a dense texture befitting a murky, southern approach to rocking out.

Handling bass duties is Mike Gunn, whom lays a rock solid foundation between the aforementioned blues-driven guitar wizardry and often takes the occasion to add his own brief flourishes to complement what is an already busy arrangement, while Luis Silva raises a racket on the drum kit that emphasizes tightness and power, yet also embodies that looser and tinny atmospheric aesthetic that is often associated with the slow jamming character of doom acts like Sleep and Saint Vitus.

Wanting for nothing in the aggression department, this album wastes little time in laying down the metallic thunder and codifying this quartet’s heavy music credentials for any would-be doubters. Channeling the muddier side of the coin while unleashing what would otherwise be an old school heavy metal homage, opening crusher “Afterglow” hits with the speed and intensity that one might expect from an early 80 Saxon or Tank album translated through a mid-2020s production and with a cleaner voice in tow.

The swift-paced “Hollow Smile” treads a similar path and features a kinetic riffing assault that sounds as much a nod to Judas Priest as it does anything else. Even when things drift into more of a mid-paced rocking groove and a droning organ injects a gothic vibe into the formula, the guitars lead the way through a maze of punchy grooves that have all the hallmarks of a powerful emulation of Black Sabbath with a modern metallic edge.

Though Dario and company’s affinity with the accessible, dank rocking swagger of Black Label Society is obvious from one song to the next, it only tells part of a story that is just as much their unique take on things. The vocal presentation put forth by Lorina has a notably more airy and mellow quality to it when measured against Zakk Wylde’s nasally snarl, and takes greater occasions to engage in rich harmonic layers that invite comparisons to the haunting character of Alice In Chains’ vocal arrangements.

It is especially apparent on the lighter rocking, grunge-infused offerings of the bunch like the dreary semi-ballad and lead single “Glass Heart” and the slow-crawling and mournful closing entry “Bullet In Our Chamber”, but it proves to be a regular fixture of a sound that is quite eclectic. In like fashion, the lead guitar presentation proves a fair bit mellower and measured compared to Wylde’s raucous, screaming shred fests, with both of the previously noted entries being no less technically ambitious, but notably smoother and channeling the likes of Carlos Santana and David Gilmour in terms of timbre and feel.

It could be argued that Dark Chapel is a band that already knows its target audience and is prepared to give them exactly what they want despite it occurring on their debut studio album. Then again, Spirit In The Glass is pretty far from a typical entry even when compared against the extensive body of work that Dario has participated in both with Black Label Society and his prior work with Lizzy Borden and Jani Lane Band.

Even when putting aside brilliantly realized stylistic outliers like the almost pop-like piano ballad “Dead Weight” and the nostalgic acoustic romp “Dark Waters”, this is an album that comes with about as many surprises as it does tried and true moments. While for some the adventurous strides into broader stylistic horizons might prove jarring, it can be safely assumed that those that have ridden things out with Lorina throughout his career since joining Black Label Society will find yet another tasty brand of heavy rocking to sink their teeth into.

Released By: MNRK Heavy
Release Date:  February 28th, 2025
Genre: Sludge Metal

Musicians:

• Dario Lorina / Guitars, vocals
• Brody DeRozie / Guitars
• Mike Gunn / Bass
• Luis Silva / Drums

Spirit In The Glass Track-Listing:

1. Afterglow
2. Hollow Smile
3. We Are Remade
4. Corpse Flower
5. Glass Heart
6. Dead Weight
7. Dark Waters
8. All That Remains
9. Gravestoned Humanity
10. Bullet in Our Chamber

Order Spirit In The Glass here.