Hailing from Sterling Heights, Michigan, Alucard manages to put a new spin on what’s become a rather cliché genre as of late. It’s nice to hear a band that doesn’t follow the same emo/punk/pop formula of simple melodies and I IV V chord structures; Alucard brings something fresh and exciting to the table.

My first Alucard experience was with their 2003 debut EP; it wasn’t professionally recorded, but I was interested to see what this band was capable of. After Dark was exactly what I was expecting; between Mike Supina’s shredding guitar solos and Colin Mattson’s driving vocals – you can’t go wrong.

After Dark starts off with the title track; once you hit play there’s no looking back. My favorite songs would have to be Resignation Song and RC. Yes, they are the most poppy of all the tracks, but they’re the ones I found myself humming after listening to this record a few times. The only major problem I had with this release was the acoustic track Summer’s Song. It seemed completely out of place and was a bit of a drag in the middle of the album.

Overall, Alucard have definitely put their best foot forward with After Dark. Barring any major problems, this band’s got a bright future.

Rating: 4.5/5