The Shadows Madame

Have you guys heard of "horror-metal" before ? This new genre has been emerging lately, with acts such as Opera IX, Notre Dame and now Cadaveria. First of all, let me tell you that I have never listened to any of those aforementioned bands before. And what the hell does horror-metal consist of ? Well, in fact it's no more than a subtle blend of dark, black, gothic and heavy-metal. Of course blending all those different influences doesn't necessarily mean that the result will be good. I know bands who tried this before and lamentably failed (bands that I will shut the names since I don't want to argue with anyone). Fortunately for me, since I have to review this album and this means listening at least 3 or 4 times to fairly review it, this band has successfully put all those elements altogether to achieve thier end : an interesting first album that deserves all you attention. Of course this is not yet a masterpiece, the band has still a lot to perfect, but this album has succeeded in capturing all my attention. The vocals on this album are of Cadaveria herself, the ex Opera IX female vocalist. Her voice is stinging and aggressive and her vocal abilities are impressing since she's able to modulate her voice (à la King Diamond, sort of). Her voice is not as sweet as Anneke from The Gathering or opera-like as Vibeke from Tristania though, I would rather say that she sings like a man most of the time. The guitar is monolithic and sharp, the bass lines are quit sick and distorted, and the drums are as loud as hell. The keyboards are prevalently orchestral, and they are not afraid of mixing synthetic sounds à la Kovenant. The music itself is full of melodic and technical breaks, and fears no boundaries or restrictions. The fourth song, Circle of Eternal Becoming shows all the band's potential for future releases. This is a good surprise and this album is worth checking out. I bought this album myself. I am really looking forward to listening to their future stuff.