Shadow - Forever Chaos |
Published November 17 2008
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Forever Chaos * |
| Genre | Melodic Death Metal |
Tokiko Shimamoto
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Vocals
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| Tracks | 11 |
Yuichi Sumimoto
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Guitar
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| Runningtime | 45 Min. |
Shinichiro Okada
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Guitar
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| Label | Spinefarm |
Yoshio "Cain" Kubo
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Bass
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| Release | 05 November 2008 |
Mitsuhiro Enomoto
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Drums
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| Country | Japan |
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Keyboard
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| Similar artists | Kalmah, The Absence, Arch Enemy | ||
For some, the melodic death metal sound has been one that has been done to death (no pun intended). The Gothenburg movement, most often associated with Sweden, has gained a lot of popularity since its inception in the early 90's, seeing its sound become diluted with the modern crop of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal bands as well as spawning hundreds of clones of varying calibers. Many of the genre's progenitors have since gone on to streamline their sonic stylings for mass consumption (In Flames, Soilwork, I'm looking at you), and still more have simply fell into obscurity after the heyday of the genre's popularity had come and gone.
Enter Japan's Shadow. Having formed in 1993 during the early days of the sound, Shadow would appear to fall into the latter of the group's described in the previous paragraph: that is, one of the countless obscure melodic death metal clones, not actually releasing a full-length album until 2001. Despite the potential and generally high level of musical craftsmanship on that self-titled album, Shadow would not release their follow up until seven years later.
History lessons aside, you already know if you're going to like this record or not. You could swear that Forever Chaos was forged from a band hailing from Sweden, if not at least some Norwegian country, the sound is that spot on. This is the logical spiritual successor to Whoreacle-era In Flames, had that particular band decided to continue with that sound throughout the rest pf their career, taking that blend of catchiness and aggressive riffs and bringing it up to a whole other level musicianship. Japan has always been known for its high-quality when it comes to music and the arts, the musicianship displayed here being no exception.
The guitar work is simply undeniable. The leads are, for lack of better adjective, catchy as fuck. If there's one aspect that will draw you into this record, and is the hallmark of melodic death metal in general, it is the superbly woven lead and solo-work that is technical without being overly-wanky. Its contrast with the hooky, muscular riffing going on behind it is a formula that really shines when in the hands of a skilled band, with Shadow providing no exception here. The riffs are aggressive and modern-sounding, yet still easily retain the elements of more straightforward melo-death acts like At the Gates, and do not focus solely on melody.
Vocally, it is standard death metal affair, skirting close to black metal, though from a female no less. Far before Angela Gossow would join the ranks of the Amotts, and predating the recent trend of having a female front-person, Shadow was doing it and doing it without pulling any punches. Unlike other extreme bands who choose to have a female for their vocal delivery, there is little, if any, processing being done on the vocals on this record, yet still sounding suitably harsh while retaining a much more natural sound that is less fatiguing on the ears. Though not stated anywhere from the band or in any metal databases, I hear at times what sounds like a male voice. If this in fact isn't the case, I give that much more kudos to vocalist Tokiko Shimamoto for pulling off a brutal rasp.
The bottom line is that Forever Chaos is a masterfully put together album, albeit one that treads a familiar path. That being said, I simply cannot take away points from a band that pulls it off this well, providing what is one of only a few releases of 2008, and in recent years in general, that has really got my head banging without leaving any trace of bitterness or disappointment in my mouth. This is melodic death metal at its finest. In a sea of once-stellar bands getting older and putting out boring, uninspired music, Shadow's second effort in fifteen years truly exemplifies the old adage of "quality, not quantity."
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Performance
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Originality
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Production
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Vocals
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Songwriting
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9 |
8 |
9 |
8 |
9 |
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Summary
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9 chalices of 10 - Dux |
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