Of Worlds, Endtimely Enshadowed

Thanks to the release of the new In Flames record, I've basically given up on melodic death metal as a whole. I don't wanna delve into this too much but it should come as no surprise that most of today's melodic death metal is pretty stale. Now, this can't be said for all bands as there truly are some diamonds in the rough out there. (The Black Dahlia Murder and Amon Amarth, for example, are fantastic!) Signist is one of those bands. While it was released over ten years ago, their only demo, Of Worlds Endtimely Enshadowed, proves that Signist is a force to be reckoned with. The remaster could not have come at a better time.

Considering it's a demo, Of Worlds Endtimely Enshadowed sounds alright. Even though I've never heard the original, I can safely say that it sounds surprisingly good for a demo. With that out of the way, I'd like to talk about the music itself and the many different styles that can be found throughout. It truly is an amalgam of different metal subgenres and acts as a sort of homage to all the European metal bands from the 90s. Some songs contain groove metal elements, while others contain progressive metal elements and clean backing vocals. There were occasional synth passages and some great chords throughout. What I'm saying is that all these styles add a unique atmosphere and vibe to the demo. With all this variety, you can't help but be bombarded with different emotions. This is all great as it kept me engaged from start to finish. My problem with bands like this is that with all the different styles and sounds, they don't exactly have their own. I can't pick a song from the demo and say: "Of Worlds Endtimely Enshadowed sounds like this!" I understand that this is a demo and the band is most likely trying out different styles to show what they can do. It's just that I'd love to hear Signist truly find themselves.

The vocals aren't exactly my cup of tea as there isn't a whole lot of variety. The vocals soar above everything else and I would have liked something other than repetitive growling. Though, it is still very listenable. When the only real weak point is because of personal preference, that's saying a lot...

Of Worlds Endtimely Enshadowed was a blast to listen to. This band is pretty underrated. There are so many sounds and vibes flying around here that there is a song for everyone! I mentioned before that most new melodic death metal albums are stale and predictable. Of Worlds Endtimely Enshadowed is the complete opposite; it's fresh and unpredictable. I'm not kissing ass here, I'm serious. Though I don't really think the band has found their own style yet, I would still love to hear more from Signist. Unlike most mainstream bands, they understand the genre and this demo proves that in every way possible.