Shadows of Evil

The band cites Dissection as one of their main influences and I can really hear that icy Swedish sound in the music. However they add a lot of thrashy elements which bring about comparisons to the Australian black/thrash scene. Now for me this is definitely a good thing as that is one of my favorite scenes.

The guitars are fast and furious with tons of energy in the riffs. The riffs are all over the place never staying on one riff very long that gives a very chaotic atmosphere. Yet they retain a focus not falling victim to technical wankery. The leads are simply fantastic with numerous solos throughout that are short and very chaotic. The vocals are relatively standard in the style of aggressive black metal. The tone is quite raspy and very cold and sound somewhere between Jon Nodveidt of Dissection and Warslut of Destroyer 666. The production is pretty much studio quality here and not fuzzy at all and everything is mixed well without sounding overdone.

There are only 3 songs here and this is the band’s 3rd demo so hopefully they will get a deal soon and release a record. A label that manages this kind of music should kick themselves repeatedly in the nuts if they pass up the opportunity to sign such a quality band.