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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
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│ + Shadowkeep - Shadowkeep-(PSRCD157) + │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
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│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Jun-01-2018 Encoder......L3.98.4 -V0 --lowpas ║ │
│║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2018 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........11 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.shadowkeepmetal.co.uk ║ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Shadowkeep Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : Shadowkeep-(PSRCD157) Label : Pure Steel ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ShadowKeep are a progressive power metal band ║ │
│║ hailing from jolly old England. They have three ║ │
│║ full-lengths to their name and after 10 years of ║ │
│║ relative inactivity, a fourth album has emerged. ║ │
│║ ShadowKeep is the bandÆs first album with ║ │
│║ drummer Omar Hayes and legendary Helstar ║ │
│║ vocalist James Rivera. Hopefully this brings the ║ │
│║ bandÆs lineup some stability as those two ║ │
│║ positions have been a bit of a revolving door in ║ │
│║ the past. James Rivera is a major upgrade for ║ │
│║ sure as he is always a force behind the mic. So ║ │
│║ what does this album have to offer? ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ The core of ShadowKeep has always been the twin ║ │
│║ guitar attack of Chris Allen and Nicki Robson, ║ │
│║ and this album is no exception. The riffs on ║ │
│║ here are reasonably heavy and are played at a ║ │
│║ brisk ╛ pace, providing a strong base for the ║ │
│║ rest of the band to work off. ôLittle Lionö has ║ │
│║ some pretty acoustic guitars but the real ║ │
│║ standouts here are the leads and solos. They ║ │
│║ range from simple to intricate but they are ║ │
│║ always technically brilliant and musically ║ │
│║ interesting. This is abundantly clear from the ║ │
│║ outset but shines especially brightly on tracks ║ │
│║ like ôThe Sword of Damoclesö and ôIsolation.ö ║ │
│║ These songs are often played at a brisk pace, ║ │
│║ making this album go by in a hurry, even with ║ │
│║ the two acoustic ballads. The albumÆs closer, ║ │
│║ ôMinotaur,ö is a touch slower but still features ║ │
│║ plenty of stellar guitar leads and sincerely ║ │
│║ awesome riff patterns. As a bonus, there is a ║ │
│║ lovely acoustic section in the middle of the ║ │
│║ track. The overall guitar tone and style are ║ │
│║ somewhat reminiscent of the good parts of modern ║ │
│║ Iced Earth except ShadowKeepÆs guitar work is ║ │
│║ much better and more dynamic. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Stony GranthamÆs bass lines are only audible ║ │
│║ occasionally but when you can hear them, they ║ │
│║ are quite good. You can really hear his great ║ │
│║ work on ôFight Across the Sandö as well as a few ║ │
│║ lines on ôMinotaurö but very little in between. ║ │
│║ Omar HayesÆ drumming, on the other hand, is a ║ │
│║ big standout on this album. He has plenty of ║ │
│║ fast-paced, hard-hitting beats to propel these ║ │
│║ songs forward but he also has interesting ║ │
│║ progressive fills on songs like ôHorse of War.ö ║ │
│║ This track also features plenty of intricate ║ │
│║ cymbal work, making it the most progressive ║ │
│║ track and the most interesting composition on ║ │
│║ the album. Omar also features some pretty nice ║ │
│║ double kick in his drumming arsenal and he uses ║ │
│║ it quite well on this album without overdoing ║ │
│║ it. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ James Rivera is a legend and has been for quite ║ │
│║ some time. His work as HelstarÆs frontman is ║ │
│║ consistently incredible and he brings instant ║ │
│║ credibility and respect as the new frontman of ║ │
│║ ShadowKeep. The instrumentation on this album is ║ │
│║ really sharp and seriously excellent overall. ║ │
│║ Let us be honest though. James Rivera is a stud ║ │
│║ and his vocals on this album are as spectacular ║ │
│║ as you would expect them to be. His high screams ║ │
│║ have the raw power of a banshee and the ║ │
│║ precision of a tiger. His low-mid range clean ║ │
│║ vocals are pretty damn good too, with great ║ │
│║ lyrics about various myths (mostly Greek) from ║ │
│║ ancient civilizations. The man is almost 60 and ║ │
│║ he has lost absolutely nothing over the 30+ ║ │
│║ years he has been doing this. He really is that ║ │
│║ good. If his performances on songs like ôFlight ║ │
│║ Across the Sand,ö ôAngels and Omens,ö and ║ │
│║ ôMinotaurö do not blow you away, you need to get ║ │
│║ your ears checked. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Will this album blow your mind with its ║ │
│║ originality and creativity? Not really. It is ║ │
│║ not an AOTY contender but everything on this ║ │
│║ album is well-conceived and extremely well- ║ │
│║ executed. There are standout performances all ║ │
│║ around and the album moves at a pretty brisk ║ │
│║ pace so there really is very little to ║ │
│║ criticize. ShadowKeep know their strengths very ║ │
│║ well and they play to them nicely. It may not be ║ │
│║ the most original or creative album in the world ║ │
│║ but it still has some great progressive nuances ║ │
│║ for the keen listener to pick up. All things ║ │
│║ considered, this is a great album and one that ║ │
│║ is definitely worth a few listens. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Review written by SlayerDeath666 for www.metal- ║ │
│║ observer.com ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ James Rivera - Vocals ║ │
│║ Stony Grantham - Bass ║ │
│║ Chris Allen - Guitars ║ │
│║ Nicki Robson - Guitars ║ │
│║ Omar Hayes - Drums ║ │
│║ ║ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - Atlantis [01:50] │
│ 02 - Guardian Of The Sea [05:20] │
│ 03 - Flight Across The Sand [07:56] │
│ 04 - Horse Of War [05:08] │
│ 05 - Little Lion [02:35] │
│ 06 - Angels And Omens [05:23] │
│ 07 - Isolation [04:22] │
│ 08 - Never Forgotten [03:07] │
│ 09 - The Sword Of Damocles [03:43] │
│ 10 - Immortal Drifter [06:09] │
│ 11 - Minotaur [09:27] │
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│ 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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