All Reviews
Shadows Land - Terminus Ante Quem
Release: 2006Label: Osmose Productions
By: Anders
Posted: Jun 29, 2006
This is my first acquaintance with this Polish band, and "Terminus Ante Quem" is their second full length album. At first the band's blend of death metal, black metal and electronically elements as samples and keys seems very messy and chaotic, though as time went by and the more listens the album got, the more the universe of Shadows Land opened and revealed its true meaning.
As written the music is a blend of death metal and black metal, brutal as hell and fast forward. The atmosphere the music invokes is either induced by cold black metal influenced riffs, a chilling and sinister experience. Or a more brutal and chaotic experience made by pounding death metal with disharmonic and wicked riffs, blasting kick drums and brutal insanity. On top of that, or weaved into the rest, disturbing samples and eerie keys work their way around ones mind. Not disturbing as in disturbing the music, but disturbing, as in disturbing the listeners psyche and adding a lot to the eerie and rather claustrophobic atmosphere. The metal part of the record is fierce, aggressive and brutal as hell and well done. There is some good riffing here and there, even though the different riffs and patters seem well known, they do their work really effective. The dark growl is good as well, even though it easily can be tracked to a good handful of growlers, but again, the dark and guttural vocals fit the music and atmosphere of the music really well.
The band has tons of good ideas composition-wise and many of them are skilfully being executed to their full extent. Though once in a while too many things are happening at once and it muds a bit up, or the plain metal parts becomes too plain and Nile-alike. Though when it goes full force ahead with fierce death or black metal and the samples kick in, the music shows sides of the genres that are more than killer and they really grips one and fascinate. And luckily it is the last mentioned that follows one throughout most of the album as the music is delivered very well, as it is brutal as fuck and as the samples and metal works well together and reaches a higher wholesome.
If you're into technical, brutal and pretty fast death and black metal, and doesn't mind samples and such in your music, Shadows Land is a small revelation, this album will rock your world and beliefs. Others might approach this album with caution. I have ended up liking the album a lot, and knows that it is one that I'll return to quite often, as they offer a lot others don't, though their problem is that they become too messy and chaotic once in a while. And the last track 'Space Of Light', which is an instrumental, becomes a bit too disco-like and electronically after my taste, even though there are some good guitar leads in it. But if Shadows Land sticks together, they'll with time make a mark on the metal scene!
As written the music is a blend of death metal and black metal, brutal as hell and fast forward. The atmosphere the music invokes is either induced by cold black metal influenced riffs, a chilling and sinister experience. Or a more brutal and chaotic experience made by pounding death metal with disharmonic and wicked riffs, blasting kick drums and brutal insanity. On top of that, or weaved into the rest, disturbing samples and eerie keys work their way around ones mind. Not disturbing as in disturbing the music, but disturbing, as in disturbing the listeners psyche and adding a lot to the eerie and rather claustrophobic atmosphere. The metal part of the record is fierce, aggressive and brutal as hell and well done. There is some good riffing here and there, even though the different riffs and patters seem well known, they do their work really effective. The dark growl is good as well, even though it easily can be tracked to a good handful of growlers, but again, the dark and guttural vocals fit the music and atmosphere of the music really well.
The band has tons of good ideas composition-wise and many of them are skilfully being executed to their full extent. Though once in a while too many things are happening at once and it muds a bit up, or the plain metal parts becomes too plain and Nile-alike. Though when it goes full force ahead with fierce death or black metal and the samples kick in, the music shows sides of the genres that are more than killer and they really grips one and fascinate. And luckily it is the last mentioned that follows one throughout most of the album as the music is delivered very well, as it is brutal as fuck and as the samples and metal works well together and reaches a higher wholesome.
If you're into technical, brutal and pretty fast death and black metal, and doesn't mind samples and such in your music, Shadows Land is a small revelation, this album will rock your world and beliefs. Others might approach this album with caution. I have ended up liking the album a lot, and knows that it is one that I'll return to quite often, as they offer a lot others don't, though their problem is that they become too messy and chaotic once in a while. And the last track 'Space Of Light', which is an instrumental, becomes a bit too disco-like and electronically after my taste, even though there are some good guitar leads in it. But if Shadows Land sticks together, they'll with time make a mark on the metal scene!
Rating: 7½/10
Back
All content Copyright 1999-2006 Nocturnalhorde.com. Powered By...
