Shadöccult

I heard of Shadöccult last year and remained intrigued, not just because of how cool that name sounds but because I wasn’t really aware of other bands that had tried this particular matching of genres before. I’m not even sure that I should say “matching of genres”, since musically this self-titled EP didn’t really reveal anything new except for the way it integrated vocals and some minor symphonic elements into vaguely modern power/melodeath/gothic metal. Whatever the case, Shadöccult still sound fresh to me, especially on ‘Ritual’, ‘Awakening’, and ‘Brotherhood’.

To open up about the vocal styles that Martin Breton employs here, he aims for a semi-operatic aura with plenty of reverb and overdubbing, so that his voice sort of feels like a choir hovering above a metal band playing in a church. Now, bear in mind the choir effect is nothing at all like King Diamond or anything more bombastic you’re probably thinking of, actually reminding me more of vaguely gothic outfits like Green Carnation or Paradise Lost when they put on all their eyeliner. Juxtapose that religious poise with slick modern metal riffing that runs from mid-paced power and heavy to proper gothic textures during ‘Oath’, and you’ll start to see why I’m not sure how to judge the novelty of Shadöccult. I suppose the idea bears similarities to Ghost trying their Pope-metal stuff, yet that can’t explain the burst of blastbeats on ‘Awakening’, nor does it really summarize how that section feels like Amon Amarth charging in slow motion and accompanied by one of the monks they are about to execute at Lindisfarne. See why this release caught my attention?

A little disappointingly, the debut EP from this Canadian prospect puts its most interesting tracks at the front, teasing us that it might be an exceptionally well-produced (semi-)extreme metal effort until ‘Brotherhood’ ends, then winding right down from the piano instrumental ‘Solitude’ until ‘Hope’ closes proceedings acoustically. However, the biggest change is the much lower quantity of innovative vocals in the second portion, where ‘Oath’ succeeds a haunting piano melody with fluid leads and only fits a couple of verses between them. As a result, the creativity diminishes as the listen wears on, unexpected riff changes appearing less and less, while the daringly melodic solos are curtailed as the track lengths also shorten. That speaks volumes about how much I’m drawn into the first 3 songs though, which really feel like they could lead anywhere and frequently do spin off in unexpected directions on a mission from a new kind of riff. The production requires me to use the word seamless, mainly because that’s how well it links these disparate parts together into a thoroughly captivating whole.

As such, the formula feels incompletely explored from these 25 minutes, and still hasn’t really been followed up (Soundscapes: A Cinematic Relaxation Experience was all instrumental stuff), so I don’t know how to feel. Simply for the exquisite sense of adventure that the best songs portray, I have to say Shadöccult bears the promise of very fine things to come. Let’s hope they materialize before long.