The Shadowland

The Shadowland is the first full-length release in Inverted's two-album career throughout the 1990s... and, as a die-hard fan of underground old school death metal, this one did not disappoint. It's a well-rounded mix of heaviness, eeriness, and melody (with some passages that are so darkly moving that they border on blackened death metal), making The Shadowland a 9-track record that's just as ghostly and atmospheric as the artwork promises.

By the third track, Circle of Candles, I knew this record was going to be a new favourite of mine. While none of the songs quite stand out as masterpieces, each one is consistently solid, with every track offering at least one memorable riff or section. The sharp, icy guitar tone builds the demonic atmosphere nicely, and although the solos are never stand-out, they're far better and more coherent than many newer death metal bands from around the same era. The mixing in general has a somewhat dissonant and spectral feel, but the heaviness isn't lost thanks to the guttural vocals and a healthy helping of tight, syncopated riffs.

That being said, the album suffers a little from some of the song structures being a little too sporadic. Every now and then, a track changes from one riff to another in a way that's so drastic and mis-matched, it almost feels like the two sections belong in different songs. With a little more refinement, I believe this album could have been a masterpiece... but as it stands, Inverted's The Shadowland is an impressive debut from a band that clearly had a consistent sound and style from the get-go, even if it is a bit rough around the edges.

In summary, The Shadowland is an impressive start to Inverted's short career, with everything from the artwork and the song titles to the mixing and the music itself coming together to make the listener truly feel like they've been transported to the eerie "Shadowland" for the duration of its runtime. So, if you're looking for some lesser known OSDM in the vast well of hidden gems the genre has to offer... well, you can do FAR worse than this! 8/10.