Shadows begins its rise.
Formed in 2022 by Dejan Milenkovits (guitar/vocals, ex-Enshrined) in Germany, the project evolved with the addition of Martin Bermheden (guitar, ex-Enshrined, ex-The Berzerker live), Andreas Holm (bass), and Joél Cirera (drums, ex-Enshrined), creating a German-Swedish entity that is releasing its first album, Miseria, this year.
The album kicks off with the dark As Above So Below, which immediately offers mysterious and catchy riffs, combined with Dejan‘s solid vocals that perfectly carry the accelerations. The occult touches of harmonics naturally reinforce the track before spreading to Lamia, which benefits from a slower and more oppressive intro before a new surge of fury that colors the rest of the composition, allowing the heady leads to take over. The vocals become more intense towards the end, allowing for a rather unexpected transition to Delivered From Sin, which quickly shows the extent of its rage with a much more violent approach that becomes almost haunting during the rare moments when it calms down, offering majestic tones. The final sample takes us to Nadir (No Consent), which immediately kicks in, bringing back old-school elements such as raw blasts that the band combines with its trippy parts to create a truly unhealthy sound that uses oppressive vocals to develop until Spring Sleepwalker takes over with an intoxicating introduction. The dissonance hypnotizes us and gradually traps our minds as the rhythm imperceptibly intensifies, ultimately creating a divide with the ethereal sound of the beginning to become a veritable hell before joining the equally furious A Seance. The composition doesn’t pull any punches, immediately assaulting us with jerky riffs during its first half before finally allowing us to breathe with a more vaporous touch that gradually gives way to violence again until it joins the energetic Mässa XCIV. This track is quite similar to the previous one, redoubling its aggression to knock us out before a rather melodious moment thanks to the harmonics, but Cycles is not far behind, ready to significantly weigh down the rhythm at a sustained pace conducive to any form of rage. The slowdowns barely allow for a respite before reaching Unnamed Sorrow, the last composition, which is much colder and allows for interesting vocal diversity before fading away.
Although its demo went unnoticed, Shadows hits hard with Miseria, revealing an identity deeply rooted in the Black/Death scene. The riffs are as powerful as they are intriguing, thanks to their dissonant and melodic touches.
85/100
