Darkness Defenders of Justice LP Razor tank slayer exumer sodom venom kreator

$

32

Brand new and sealed LP!
DARKNESS Defenders of Justice LP MARBLE colored vinyl

High Roller Records, reissue 2025, orange/ black marble vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, poster, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony
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DARKNESS - Defenders of Justice LP

HRR 338LP, ltd 500, 350 x white/ red splatter vinyl + 150 x black vinyl, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet, poster, 2nd pressing: ltd 500, 250 x black + 250 x swamp green/ orange splatter vinyl insert, poster, 3rd pressing: ltd 500, 250 x 180g black vinyl + 250 x transparent orange crush/ black marble vinyl
Olli (R.I.P.) - Vocals Arnd - Guitars Pierre - Guitars Thomas - Bass Lacky - Drums
-Bloodbath -Inverted Minds -Battle to the Last -Caligula -They Need a War -Locked -Defenders of Justice -Predetermined Destiny
1st + 2nd pressing: SOLD OUT! 3rd pressing: August 15th

High Roller Records keep digging deep into the history of thrash, and here is another treasure we unearthed: With the re-release of "Defenders of Justice" from 1988, the world sees the return of Darkness! Hailing from the famous Ruhr Area, the band was forged right in the heart of German thrash: They formed in 1984, just after having been to a Tormentor (later Kreator) show together, and they took their first steps in songwriting and rehearsing at the famous Zeche Carl. Now, 30 years later, Darkness have returned. Was it the idea from the start to make the reunion happen in this special year? Arnd, second oldest member of Darkness, isn’t too sure about this: “Yes and no. The idea to reanimate Darkness actually came up long before our 25th anniversary show. But the show was something like a jump-start for us. We felt that the right guys were playing together and that it was the best time to start again.” “Defenders of Justice” was the second of three proper full-length releases by Darkness before the split in 1990. Looking back today, how are Arnd’s feelings in regard to this album? “‘Defenders of Justice’ was the album which marked the silent demise of Darkness. Bruno (bass) had already been replaced by Thomas, who later left the band for Holy Moses. Olli (voc) had begun to go astray, he was not really interested in metal anymore but rather into early gothic acts like Fields of the Nephilim or Sisters of Mercy. Our guitarist Pierre was very disappointed with the whole situation and wanted to play more progressive music. These are the facts. Despite all the personal issues of that time, ‘Defenders of Justice’ is the last real Darkness album, at least for me.” If one takes a look at the past, there is a whole bunch of bands from the eighties who played great thrash tunes but never really made it big, for one reason or another. Darkness, too, have been called “one of the most overlooked things in thrash.” What’s Arnd’s opinion on this? “Perhaps they are right. - Perhaps?! No, of course they are right, hahaha! To be serious: there is some truth to that, but one important thing had been missing all the years: A sixth man in the band, a guy in the background, an adequate manager. We had to do most of the PR-work on our own, I guess that was the reason why we never made bigger steps in our career. We were young, wild and angry - pretty bad requirements for successful business men!” Sounds plausible. Now there is a second chance for “Defenders of Justice” to catch the attention of those who are into good old eighties’ thrash. Therefore the album will undergo as few changes as possible for the re-release, because “we want to transport the true 80's feeling!” Some special features will nevertheless come along with the new pressing, as Arnd reveals: “Lacky has excavated the Darkness photo treasure chest. There'll be shitloads of unpublished pictures of the band included!” According to Lacky, the only original member, Darkness had a good reason to ink the deal for the re-release with High Roller: “The sales of the re-released CDs of all Darkness album were very good, and High Roller asked us if we wanted to do the same with the vinyl versions. So they proved to have a very good sense for the scene, because the Death Squad release sold more than well.” While a couple of years ago there was already a first attempt to reanimate Darkness which was rather short-lived – we’re talking about “Eure Erben”, who played Darkness songs with German lyrics – this time round the band has bigger plans: “The first reunion was not a real reunion because we tried to link our new project to Darkness. I have to admit that we unfortunately have failed. This time it is and will be Darkness, not just another project linked to the band. We are growing from our old roots, the monster is awake again.” Arnd finds even more lofty words to describe the rebirth of Darkness: “We dug out Darkness and buried the Erben in the same grave.” The new version of Darkness sees a lot of new faces: While drummer Lacky and Arnd have been in and out Darkness since the beginning, the rest of the lot is entirely new to the game: Now Darkness have Kreator’s Speesy on bass, Bony Fertigmensch of JaKa fame on guitars, and Meik Heitkamp (git) who some might know from Trapped Insanity. How did they all find together to reform Darkness? Arnd: “No big deal! Bony played the anniversary show, he is an old companion of us anyway. Then we share our rehearsal room with Meik's band, and Speesy - Lacky, tell the legend of Speesy and you, hahaha!” Lacky: “Yes, one day we were having a beer at Speesy's pub, talking about the good old times. Back in the eighties, Speesy was a part of the Darkness family, he travelled a lot with us to support us at our shows or all other kinds of events. The anniversary show we played in December 2012 was a play along option for him, but that was not possible for him due to a lack of time. At that special drinking night he asked again if he could play bass for us, and I said OK. The circle closed again!” With that established, what else do we need to know about the re-release of “Defenders of Justice"? Arnd: “I think we've told you enough about the album. You don't need to know more about that LP but about the people we made it for. I mean the metalheads around the world who kept the spirit alive and held up the flame of Darkness through all the years. They are the sixth member of the band, and the praise belongs to them! Thanks to all the folks out there - you rule!"

Darkness were a German thrash metal band formed in the mid-1980s, often associated with the Teutonic thrash movement that produced heavyweights like Kreator, Destruction, and Sodom. While they never reached the same global recognition as those acts, Darkness carved out a cult following with their aggressive but energetic approach. Their sound balanced raw German ferocity with a slightly more playful, speed-metal edge, which gave them an identity apart from the darker and more extreme tone of their peers. Though they remained underground, Darkness are remembered as one of the cult heroes of the mid-’80s thrash underground, embodying the true spirit of DIY German metal.
Defenders of Justice, released in 1988, was their second full-length album and remains their best-known work. It followed their debut Death Squad and showed the band maturing both musically and compositionally. The record is packed with razor-sharp riffing, pounding drums, and harsh yet intelligible vocals that made it approachable compared to the more extreme German thrash of the era. Songs like “Battle to the Last” and the title track combine galloping speed with crushing riffage, while others lean into a slightly more melodic and anthem-like sensibility. The production is raw but effective, giving it that gritty underground feel which fans of the era tend to treasure. While not as polished as American thrash or as dark as some of their compatriots, Defenders of Justice stands as a strong example of the diversity within German thrash at its peak.
For listeners who enjoy this album, there are plenty of similar records from the same scene and era. From the German thrash world, classics like Kreator’s Pleasure to Kill (1986), Terrible Certainty (1987), and Extreme Aggression (1989), Destruction’s Infernal Overkill (1985) and Release from Agony (1987), and Sodom’s Persecution Mania (1987) or Agent Orange (1989) all provide the harsher, more extreme backdrop to Darkness’s sound. Tankard’s Chemical Invasion (1987) and The Morning After (1988) are essential too, leaning into the more energetic and fun side of thrash that Darkness sometimes hinted at. Paradox’s Product of Imagination (1987) and Heresy (1989) bring a slightly more melodic but still razor-sharp German touch. Holy Moses, with Finished with the Dogs (1987) and The New Machine of Liechtenstein (1989), offer another angle with feral aggression. Other underground German gems include Living Death’s Protected from Reality (1987), Deathrow’s Deception Ignored (1989), and Assassin’s Interstellar Experience (1988).
Outside Germany, American thrash provides plenty of parallels. Testament’s The New Order (1988), Overkill’s Under the Influence (1988), and Anthrax’s Among the Living (1987) share the same balance of aggression and catchiness. Flotsam and Jetsam’s Doomsday for the Deceiver (1986), Heathen’s Breaking the Silence (1987), and Forbidden’s Forbidden Evil (1988) lean toward the technical side but keep the same energy. On the slightly more extreme end, Slayer’s Hell Awaits (1985) and Reign in Blood (1986) set the blueprint for pure intensity, while Dark Angel’s Darkness Descends (1986) pushed boundaries of speed and aggression. Canadian bands like Razor (Violent Restitution, 1988) and Sacrifice (Forward to Termination, 1987) also carry the raw, underground spirit that makes Darkness so appealing.
In short, Defenders of Justice is a snapshot of late ’80s thrash at its most exciting and diverse—a raw but charismatic record that bridges the gap between German underground intensity and the broader thrash metal explosion of the time. Fans of Darkness will find plenty of enjoyment digging into these 50 albums from both the German and global scenes, each carrying a piece of that same unpolished but fiercely authentic energy.
50 Similar Artists Below is a list of bands that align with Darkness’s style, particularly in the German thrash and global thrash metal scenes:
Kreator Sodom Destruction Tankard Holy Moses Assassin Exumer Protector Necronomicon (Germany) Paradox Iron Angel Living Death Mekong Delta Vendetta Angel Dust (early years) Minotaur Deathrow Violent Force Exumer Toxic Shock Mortal Sin Artillery Razor Sacrifice (Canada) Coroner Sabbat (UK) Onslaught Destructor Dark Angel Demolition Hammer Vio-Lence Evildead Hexenhaus Whiplash Slaughter (Canada) Infernal Majesty Holy Terror Morbid Saint Deathwish (UK) Atrophy Forbidden Sacred Reich Annihilator Exodus Overkill Hirax Flotsam and Jetsam Heathen Warbringer Warpath (Germany) These bands represent a mix of the Teutonic thrash metal movement and the broader global thrash scene, providing a comprehensive look at the raw, aggressive style Darkness exemplifies.