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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
│ │
│ │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
│ │
│ │
│ + Shadows Of Steel - Second Floor (Jap. Ed.) + │
│ │
│ │
│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Mar-02-2014 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │
│║ Genre........Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2002 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........12 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... n/a ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Shadows Of Steel Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : Second Floor (Jap. Ed.) Label : Soundholic ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Shadows Of Steel is yet another Italian ║ │
│║ symphonic metal band that has come along in ║ │
│║ recent years. These guys are not new to the ║ │
│║ scene though, having released their debut album ║ │
│║ in 1996. Since then, they have released a double ║ │
│║ mini-CD and in fact recorded this particular ║ │
│║ album in 1999-2000. Unforseen problems resulted ║ │
│║ in the release being delayed until now, with ║ │
│║ only the single, Heroes seeing the light of day ║ │
│║ before the release of this album. The lead ║ │
│║ vocalist, Wild Steel, performs wearing a rather ║ │
│║ pointy version of a Phantom Of The Opera mask. ║ │
│║ This mask-wearing gimmick was originated in the ║ │
│║ 70's with Peter Gabriel and revisited again, ║ │
│║ briefly, by Fish from Marillion in the 80's. The ║ │
│║ band also consists of Ice Reaven and Yackson, ║ │
│║ guitar, Steve Vawamas, bass, and Frank Andiver, ║ │
│║ drums, previously with Labyrinth. Technically, ║ │
│║ this band is very, very good. The guitar playing ║ │
│║ is top notch as is the drumming and keyboard ║ │
│║ playing. They play a very fast, old Helloween - ║ │
│║ like power metal with symphonic textures and ║ │
│║ some progressive elements. Most tracks are very ║ │
│║ fast with very fast double bass drumming and ║ │
│║ shredding leads. Some of the synthesizer leads ║ │
│║ really are a throw back to a 70's style and ║ │
│║ remind me of bands such as Styx and Angel. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Two aspects of this band really need work ║ │
│║ though, the vocals and the overall songwriting. ║ │
│║ Wild Steel has a powerful voice but really ║ │
│║ doesn't know how to use it properly. He sounds ║ │
│║ way too over-dramatic and doesn't really ║ │
│║ compliment the songs. At times, his voice is ║ │
│║ almost irritating. Most of the tracks contain ║ │
│║ some real technical brilliance but very little ║ │
│║ substance and very weak choruses. Killer riffs ║ │
│║ and well-timed tempo changes don't always make a ║ │
│║ great song and a few of the tracks feature what ║ │
│║ I like to call "technical masturbation". It's ║ │
│║ when bands do all kinds of wild and very ║ │
│║ technically difficult stuff to try to compensate ║ │
│║ for the lack of really solid songs. Most of the ║ │
│║ leads are very fast shredding leads which have ║ │
│║ very little to do with the tempo and overall ║ │
│║ melody of the song. Female vocals are used ║ │
│║ intermittently on several tracks, which seems to ║ │
│║ be very trendy lately but in this case, doesn't ║ │
│║ save any of these songs. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Heroes, the first single, is a decent track and ║ │
│║ opens with a cool guitar/synthesizer duet with ║ │
│║ great instrumentation and lots of tempo changes. ║ │
│║ King Of The Island alternates between slower ║ │
│║ galloping tempos and speedier ones for the ║ │
│║ chorus and contains a lightning fast ║ │
│║ instrumental break. Crying, one of the faster ║ │
│║ tracks, features very fast double bass drumming ║ │
│║ and power riffing with some very Helloween -like ║ │
│║ harmony leads. One track, Playing Room V, is ║ │
│║ more straight ahead Power Metal and while it ║ │
│║ lacks the speediness found in most of the other ║ │
│║ songs, overall, the band sounds better on this ║ │
│║ track than anything else on this album. Included ║ │
│║ as a bonus track, is a very painful to listen ║ │
│║ to, version of Strange Wings by Savatage from ║ │
│║ the Hall Of The Mountain King album. This is not ║ │
│║ a very good version of the song and I think it ║ │
│║ may have been recorded at another time ( a few ║ │
│║ years prior). The production is really lacking ║ │
│║ on this track and it sounds very inferior to the ║ │
│║ rest of the album. The vocals differ too much ║ │
│║ from the original version and some of the ║ │
│║ chordal octaves that Chris Oliva (guitar - ║ │
│║ Savatage) used in the original to accent and ║ │
│║ create atmosphere aren't even used here. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ I'd love to hear more instrumental work from ║ │
│║ this band, as I think it would be really good. ║ │
│║ Production-wise, there are some flaws. On a ║ │
│║ couple of tracks, the vocals are not loud enough ║ │
│║ and are buried in the mix. A few times, ║ │
│║ sprinkles of guitar that is added to tracks, ║ │
│║ meant to be in the background, is actually ║ │
│║ louder than the main riff. All the instruments ║ │
│║ i.e. the drums, keyboards, bass and guitars have ║ │
│║ a great sound to them but the problems seem to ║ │
│║ be in the mixing process. I really like this ║ │
│║ sort of music and although these guys along with ║ │
│║ Rhapsody, Labyrinth and Skylark are the real ║ │
│║ pioneers for this form of metal music, I don't ║ │
│║ feel that they really offer anything truly ║ │
│║ unique and worthwhile. A little less attention ║ │
│║ to technical issues and more attention to the ║ │
│║ vocal delivery style and overall songwriting ║ │
│║ would really help this band. Technical ║ │
│║ brilliance doesn't make a band. If there are no ║ │
│║ decent songwriters in the band then it's going ║ │
│║ to be difficult to survive with so many very ║ │
│║ talented metal bands out there today. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Wild Steel - Vocals ║ │
│║ Frank Andiver - Drums ║ │
│║ Yackson - Guitars ║ │
│║ Ice Reaven - Guitars ║ │
│║ Steve Vawamas - Bass ║ │
│║ Francis Scarlet - Keyboards ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - Prelude [02:17] │
│ 02 - Second Floor [05:04] │
│ 03 - Somewhere High Above [05:39] │
│ 04 - Heroes [04:07] │
│ 05 - King Of The Island [04:35] │
│ 06 - Dame And Lord [05:36] │
│ 07 - December [04:20] │
│ 08 - Crying [03:52] │
│ 09 - Distant Voices [05:34] │
│ 10 - Talk To The Wind [05:37] │
│ 11 - The Playing Room V [04:40] │
│ 12 - Strange Wings (Bonus Track) [03:39] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [55:00 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│■ ■│
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