Jaime Page’s DARK UNIVERSE – Into The Black [Remastered 2021]

Jaime Page is a well known Australian musician / rock guitarist who has been part of many bands and collaborated with other artists. Perhaps the most notable is having her song ‘Resurrection’ being recorded by Brian May on his solo album ‘Back to the Light’. And what a killer song it is.
Musically Jaime Page’s DARK UNIVERSE album “Into The Black” has many points in common with May’s album, however more varied in nature ranging from mid-paced melodic hard rockers to progressive. And there’s an excellent vocalist in Donna Greene who reminds me of Ann Wilson at places.
When “Into The Black” was released three years ago, Jaime Page came out as transgender and a new chapter in her life started.
Now the album is being re-issued, remastered and slightly remixed to reach Page’s original sound vision. It comes with bonus material and new artwork.

“Into The Black” conjures a lot of its magic in the alchemy between Greene’s masterful vocals and Jaime’s inspired guitar-work. You can hear it right away on the soaring “7th Heaven”, a melodic hard-rock beauty with echoes from the Eighties, Nineties and 2000’s. It’s plenty of atmospheres, rich harmonies, and that ‘big room’ sound.
“Weight of the World” is much more darker, fiercer, almost martial, and while I prefer this band at their most melodic side, it delivers variation. With title track “Into the Black”, again we have something different; a groovy, dense midtempo song with a certain Black Sabbath circa 1987 feel.

“Bleed Me Dry” has modern elements, still heavy but not metallic, then mid-paced “Don’t Go” mixes hard rock groove with a little progressive akin 90s Queensryche. On “God Help the Rest Of Us” appears a lot of keyboards and some kind of a Scandinavian sound from the 2000’s, a song recalling Denander’s Radioactive at some point.

Greene’s pipes shine into “Shatter”, an Ann Wilson-Heart type of midtempo melodic rock, then “Falling in a Dream”, the closest to a ballad here, while melodic, incorporates a Floydian touch which makes it unique. Same with the quite anthemic, where a bit of Queensryche appears again, and presents a swirling guitar solo.
On “Alone at the End of the World” we find some acoustics into the mix, again melodic with a little and captivating progressive background.

“Into The Black” is a rare piece of art: intensely personal to its creator both musically and in the lyrics, it is open to adaptation and interpretation by its listener, whether it is as a collection of really well composed, accessible tunes with something for everyone, quite original in its conception.

However you take it, this is undeniably a strong album and a wonderful listen.
A very good, always interesting band and elaborated melodic music always trying to escape from the common ground and delivering something unique.
Be aware there’s some copies floating around the web claiming to be the remastered 2021 version but in fact are the earlier. This is the real one.
HIGHLY Recommended

 

01 – 7th Heaven (2021 Remaster)
02 – Weight of the World (2021 Remaster)
03 – Into the Black (2021 Remaster)
04 – Bleed Me Dry (2021 Remaster)
05 – Don’t Go (2021 Remaster)
06 – God Help the Rest Of Us (2021 Remaster)
07 – Shatter (2021 Remaster)
08 – Falling in a Dream (2021 Remaster)
09 – Whatever (2021 Remaster)
10 – Alone at the End of the World (2021 Remaster)
11 – God Help the Rest of Us (VIP Version) [Bonus Track]

Jaime Page – guitars, vocals
Donna Greene – vocals
Craig Skelton – bass, keyboards, synths
Michael Burn – drums

 

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www.darkuniverse.com.au/