This is the confirmed track listing for the album No Gods on Earth.

Monstrous slabs of brooding melancholy gothic rock. That's a compliment by the way. It's also a description of Dark Horizon's demo, six songs taken from the forthcoming No Gods On Earth debut album. It's heavy on atmosphere rather than the tunes you'll hear your milkman whistling. The slow-burning feelings of sadness and regret are eternal and you'll have a black heart not to empathise with the emotions expressed.

A distant female wails, guitars throb and synths mourn. Singer Michael is filled with yearning. That's opening song "Lost". It's an effective opener, but the best is yet to come.

Though "Last Mile" starts with a sonorous piano, it's the chiming guitar that creates the emotional connection. It's a reminder that it's Stephen Carey of This Burning Effigy/NFD producing. If you like the dark atmospheres of This Burning Effigy, then you'll like Dark Horizon. This song builds slowly but surely. Michael ruminates on 'my twisted desire'. With this sort of music it's important for there to be a destination. Three minutes in the music swells dramatically. The orchestration that follows is sublime. Houston, we have a climax.

With all this gloominess there's a risk that the band and the listener will slump into lethargy. Luckily "Time" has the perkiness and tunefulness of a Depeche Mode album track to keep up the levels of interest. The chorus shows particular majesty.

More piano-in-an-empty-room melancholy for "1 More", which makes the guitar pulsating that follows all the more effective.

Tony Pettitt from Fields of the Nephilim/NFD plays bass on "Higher Ground" which adds to the grandeur of the song. It's easy to imagine singer Michael standing on a mountain top shouting his defiance at the Gods who hurl lightning bolts at him. An interlude two and a half minutes in provides a respite before the heavens open again. Disappointingly the song just ends around the four minute mark. It feels as if we were just about to reach the peak, but we are denied.

This demo bodes extremely well for the full-length album. While the palette Dark Horizon draws from is composed mainly of the dark colours of the spectrum, they have the artistry to ensure that their creation is never just made up of grey.

1. Time
2. Higher Ground
3. Shock
4. Time II Fade Out
5. End of Forever

It has been known for a long time that Great Britain is a real breeding ground for alternative bands, which often take Gothic music as their inspiration. Dark Horizon, no exception to the trend, mixes typical rock elements with those of dark folk music. It is a truly interesting and definitely not banal mixture. Thanks to the young musicians, melodies discovered by Goth pioneers in the 1980's come back like a boomerang. Fortunately, the ambitious trio from Gloucester is not only copying the works of their favourite bands. Dark Horizon offers majestic journeys sketched by the pen of Douglas (Death in June) and filled with the colourful expressions and mysticism of Mcoy (Fields of the Nephilim). The sound of Dark Horizon brings to mind Sol Invictus, Naevus and NFG. I will only add that the demo in question was created in the year when Dark Horizon was created.
[7]
11.12.2003
[Laurel]
http://www.alternativepop.pl/jp/articles.php?id=194

The CD Single Angel, which was released in 2002, has now been deleted. There are a few remaining copies available through Music Non Stop and Ressurrection Records.

We are currently well underway in the recording of the album. There will be no Angel era material on the forthcoming album. Demo's of the possible album material are available on the downloads page (mp3's).

The band will be taking a break from recording to see all the bands in Edinburgh. Note we are not playing, but we will be joining in all the drunken people - see you there.

Shadowplay has reviewed the old and new demo CD's with new material for the album. Here it is.

DARK HORIZON
"Time" 2003/ "Angel" 2002 [Demo]
Dark Horizon 2003

This band formed one year ago. And during this serious term they could reach appreciable results: the band is recommended by Mick Mercer and this fact is very important for the representatives of the dark scene, Dark Horizon' demos received very good reviews in a number of the gothic major magazines. Basically, the results are quite appreciable for less than annual history.
Of course we could talk about the competent self-promotion of the band and about Stev Carey's protection (who played in This Burning Effigy - the band that occupies not the last place in a British gothic rock-pantheon), about the innovative approach to a sound of gothic rock which has completely exhausted itself. We could even mention the talent of the musicians, that probably will seem strange to someone + (Imagine, sometimes it happens - talented musicians appear on a scene!). But it would be better to talk about all this taken together.
At present we have progressive gothic band which experimented with gothic a little, introduced little bit of electronics and had a little fun with metal. As a result they received something which was estimated so high by lots of fans. I could say that the names of the new genres and the descriptions of the projects in press surprise me every time and frequently they are not conterminous with the validity. As for me I didn't heard even the remote hint on metal on these two CDs and the band's sound would be better to describe as ethereal with male vocal (it reminds me Lycia very much). So soft and smooth tracks are submitted on the two demos. Though, it is possible, that musicians reserved the real drive for the gigs.
Soft volumetric electronic drums, muffled bass, unostentatious guitar sound sometimes reminding the late Mission's drive are characterized the Dark Horizon. And it is necessary to mention the keyboard and the vocal. The keyboard completes that ice image which is created with music of the Dark Horizon. High Michael Clayton's vocal sounds as an original binding string between the cold night world created by music Dark Horizon, and a reality. By the way, the high timbre of a man's vocal is completely not characterized the gothic. In this case, the pluses are obvious - the band absolutely gets rid of comparisons with the classical gothic bands of the middle of 80-s.
These are excellent original works which could attract the attention of everyone who is keen on gothic. The sound of the band is non-standardly for this genre. It is quite obvious, that the band can develop intensively, and, probably, it has the opportunity to become one of representatives of the "new" sound. Definitely, the Dark Horizon is one more excellent British export.

Whisper 5/5

Shadowplay are also publishing 6 questions that we and other bands have answered. The other bands are Sean Brenan, Fading Colours, Psychophile,
Stoa, Narcissus Pool, Goteki, Faith and the Muse.

Please check their website out for a copy of the review (in russian) and soon the answers for those questions. www.shadowplay.ru

Mick Mercer has reviewed our new Demo CD for the upcoming album. Here it is.

Sunday, August 10th, 2003

DARK HORIZON
DEMO

I was enthusiastic about their previous single and I'm equally impressed this, for what I imagine will mainly be a mood-inspired band and one you might care for, as albums which enrich the tone of an evening's listening in a subtle manner are always ones which grow in our affections.

This four track demo CD gives a hint of the album they plan to release later this year and there are three out of four which are great "Higher Ground" gives us an impressively big drum sound, with beautifully swelling keyboards from Stuart Meadows, and gently obscured vocals which soar unexpectedly at the end, seeming deceptively sluggish but with its own sense of space and, therefore, life. "Time" has a crisp rhythm track and Michael's Clayton's most attractive vocals, which weave neatly between softly bulging musical shapes as the keyboards inflate and subside, and the guitars seem to hum. It's a nicely full sound but allows you to loll, contemplatively. Then "End Of Forever" turns out to give a sleek synth buzz, where only backing vocals build, then end unexpectedly, creating an impressively pretty thing.

The only duff aspect comes with "Horizons" which seems listless, being too similar to the first two in tone and Michael almost flops around with vocals, sounding impassioned and dreamy but actually not stamping his presence in the track, which is a shame because there's some inventive work here, particularly with Andy Meadows and his weird guitar noise.

Overall though, this is quality work and as these are still just demos the album should be very interesting. See their website for further clues.

www.darkhorizon.org.uk

Please visit Mick Mercer's journal to read it there
http://www.livejournal.com/users/mickmercer/

A German website, www.amboss-mag.de have shown interest in writing a review about us. It'll be in German though, (any translations will be welcome)

Check out Issue 14 - Summer 2003 of Kaleidoscope (www.kaleidoscopemusic.org.uk) We have been reviewed there by Steve S on our Angel single CD

Check out Issue 12 of Meltdown Magazine (www.angelfire.com/zine/meltdown/) We have been reviewed there. Also Natasha from Meltdown has played our Angel track on the Jan + Feb Batcave Broadcast on Totalrock Radio Sky Digital channel 885 or via Internet. Tune in every 4 weeks on Sunday 3pm - 6pm. Next show 2nd March. Feel free to request us, email: studio@totalrock.com with the subject 'Request'

Kaleidoscope's Review of Dark Horizon - by Steve S

This is the debut release from English band Dark Horizon, and heralds what could become a very interesting act. Combining traditional goth with progressive metal and electronic elements, the band create a definite epic atmosphere to their tracks, which are spacey and rocky at the same time. Fronting the deep and textured sounds, Michael Clayton's voice is remarkable, not only for the difference in style between the first two tracks (the third is an instrumental), but also in the detached, timeless manner of his vocals, helping to conjure up images of deserts, spacial abysses and Nephilim style angels descending! A very promising debut, with suggestion for even greater things to come!
Steve S

Meltdown's Review of Dark Horizon - By Natasha Scharf

Dark Horizon are a new band from Gloucester who perform a slick blend of electro influenced gothic rock. This demo reminds me, in parts, of early Dream Disciples and it would certainly be wonderful if they could achieve similar success.
The band have worked with former This Burning Effigy guitarist Steve Carey and he certainly seems to have brought his knowledge of the genre to this demo.
Atmospheric synth backdrops merge with electric guitars to effectively produce a catchy slice of trad goth. Michael Clayton's vocals rest within the Wayne Hussey school of Goth, although they do occasionally falter.
For a first demo, this is a top effort. Of course there is room for improvement so I'm eager to hear what happens next with these guys.
Natasha Scharf

Mick Mercer's Review of Dark Horizon

Thursday, December 12th, 2002
9:05 pm DARK HORIZON
ANGEL (etc)

I am grateful to the band for their basic but sleek promo pack, with the debut CD, because here is a trio with a knack for pleasing brevity and just a hint of power. They claim there are Goth, Electronic and Metal influences at work but it’s mainly a light Gothic feel that comes through, and some sensitive vocals, which really does add up to a compelling sound.

‘Angel’ shows Michael Clayton, who handles bass and vocals, singing in a sonorous manner, as Andrew Meadows (guitar) and Stuart Meadows (keyboards/prog) show good rhythmical touches and dexterity. It’s the song which comes through proudly, the vocals and guitars quite fleeting in the overall sweeping sound.

They claim that the third track, ‘Drifting’ which features a slow spell, based on a slow swell; layers added gradually, in increasing weight, is moving towards filmic. I think it’s a pleasant fraction of what could have been a much larger sound, and the filmic quality is already exhibited in track 2, because ‘Into The Lake’ brings an interesting diversion into play, for Michael has a different vocal style compared to ‘Angel’, with attractively ambivalent lyrics creating visual suggestion. They manage a strikingly pretty sound here, with almost guarded opulence as if they didn’t want to go far, and that bellows Intriguing Potential to me. As the song builds, the stridency does nothing to disrupt the charm and only sharpens interest.

This CD is well worth getting because it could be the start of quite a collection. It’s up to them to keep the quality consistent now and develop their themes for a debut album.

http://www.darkhorizon.org.uk is a fairly basic website – no gigs planned as yet, sadly - and their history could be ten times the size, to show us what they’re into and why. The forum didn’t work for me, but they have a hefty gallery and a thirds of each song for download if you’re curious.

Single from them or www.resurrectionmusic.com