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░ ██ ██ Artist: Shatter Messiah ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Orphans of Chaos █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-03-05 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Thrash Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Sleaszy Rider Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ I first got into Shatter Messiah around the █
█ release of their debut Never to Play the Servant, █
█ back in 2006. Masterminded by █
█ Nevermore/Annihilator touring guitarist Curran █
█ Murphy, the Akron group stood out for their clear █
█ defiance of metal categorization and for having █
█ anti-religious lyrics that were surprisingly █
█ well-written and mature when compared to most █
█ extreme metal tripe. Unfortunately, they seemed to █
█ go silent for a while and fell off my radar. █
█ Orphans of Chaos, their fourth full-length, █
█ continues the groupÆs penchant for diversity among █
█ the metal genres. The overall template is right in █
█ line with the likes of Nevermore and some of Rob █
█ HalfordÆs solo work but one will find plenty of █
█ groove riffs mixed with intricate, borderline █
█ death metal tempo shifts, occasional King █
█ Diamond-style harmonies, and vocals that run the █
█ spectrum from classic metal cleans to near death █
█ metal rasps. █
█ However, this particular album does differ by █
█ having an outlook that is somehow even darker than █
█ its predecessors. There is a degree of grunge and █
█ possible sludge influence on the appropriately █
█ titled ôDoom,ö which is packed with dissonant █
█ guitar grinds and expressive vocal layering ala █
█ Alice in Chains. Even the catchier vocal lines on █
█ songs like ôShallowö and ôCold and Aloneö sound █
█ distraught. █
█ This tonal shift is further enhanced by the change █
█ in lyrical themes as the themes of religious █
█ questioning are almost entirely absent. In their █
█ place is a pseudo-narrative that reminds me of █
█ CandlemassÆs King of the Grey Islands, as the █
█ songs are a series of first person accounts █
█ revolving around themes of drug abuse and suicide. █
█ The band has had a few songs in this territory on █
█ their past efforts but I donÆt think itÆs ever █
█ sounded this oppressive. █
█ Overall, Orphans of Chaos is of the same high █
█ quality as Shatter MessiahÆs previous releases and █
█ offers much of the same intense genre blending. █
█ Those familiar with the band shouldnÆt be █
█ alienated by the darker tone and this wouldnÆt be █
█ an invalid starting point for fans already █
█ acquainted with Nevermore and Dream TheaterÆs █
█ heavier outings. HereÆs hoping the band can get █
█ itself back out there and perhaps to an even more █
█ noteworthy point than they were before. █
█ █
█ Highlights: ôShallowö, ôForget Forgivenessö, █
█ ôDoomö, ôCold And Aloneö & ôFreeö █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Fixx for Demise 4:17 ░
░ 2. Shallow 2:44 ░
░ 3. Slave 3:20 ░
░ 4. Forget Forgiveness 3:28 ░
░ 5. Nothing Friend 5:00 ░
░ 6. The Mad Man Lies 4:52 ░
░ 7. Doom 7:38 ░
░ 8. Disruption 5:37 ░
░ 9. Thoughtless Timeless 4:04 ░
░ 10. Cold and Alone 5:19 ░
░ 11. Free 6:47 ░
░ 53:06 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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