Review by Michael on May 10, 2026.

Dark Millennium always knows how to surprise their fans. Their last album "Acid River" was already a very intense trip, "Come" has turned out even more intense. Focusing on the topic "intoxication / ecstasy" (vocalist Christian Mertens told me a couple of weeks ago that it would deal with the German phrase "Rausch"). This you can get from everything: alcohol, drugs, work, sex, sports…. So you can see that the common thread is quite varied this time and unfortunately I still don't have the lyrics so I cannot tell anything about the content yet. Also the song titles don't tell too much about the lyrics so I have to postpone this to a later time.

But musically it is clear that the guys had quite a lot of anger in their guts while composing the eight tracks. Starting a little bit calmer and quite progressive on "Here" where the vocals are also more whispered and spoken, it evolves more and more into a psychedelic song that shows a certain restlessness. The start in "Amber" reminds quite a lot of their 1993 album "Diana Read Peace". This one is also quite experimental with really sick vocals and some heavy outbursts after few minutes. My personal favorite on the album is "Fear Forest". Starting with a Nirvana riff ("Heart Shaped Box?"), the song turns into a super psychedelic and disturbing song. First of all are the whispered and screamed vocals a reason for that but also the zooming guitars. Also the lyrics are quite irritating:

"You're too cruel to be a lover
But you're too weak to kill your child"

But Dark Millennium always has been quite mysterious and far away from what is the typical metal stuff and they also never wanted to be normal. This is something they create on "Come" the whole time. Not only lyrically but also musically they are quite atypical for metal and, like on every album they released before, you are left with an open mouth when it's over and don't know what to think. Here and there you can enjoy some catchy parts (for example in "Winter Of Wizards" which has one of the sickest vocal performances on "Come" or "Pieces Of Midnight", a track that is in some parts really cool death metal) but all of a sudden, there are some incredible breaks and everything gets messed up (in a positive way) so that you have some bulky tunes. The production is crisp and crunchy and sounds very powerful so that the songs get the appreciation they deserve. And I have to come back to the vocals – they are more diverse than ever. And so are the songs, too – heavier, angrier and at the same time more diverse.

What the band never does is to get boring. No, there is so much happening in the songs so that it is a real challenge to get into them and there Is always something going to happen. This is no easy record; this is a fantastic trip into the mind, into your darkest abyss. Once more I feel like Alice In Wonderland when I listen to the songs. Sometimes you feel super big, sometimes you feel so small and confused. And be assured, this is no album you should listen to when you just want some light entertainment. This is an album that needs time, like some good pastry or wine. Don't let be deceived by the very simple album cover which doesn't say anything about the music.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10