It’s time to look back at the music of the year before, and see if it still earned it’s recognition & rightful place on my top 5 albums of 20XX list. 2023 had a damn good selection of records from across a lot of styles, and from bands both old and new. The only records that aren’t getting a review are the ones I leave out for their own examinations in November....and the one’s I’ve selected are definitely going to be interesting. In any case, let’s take a trip over to Chile, and take a look at a band that’s pretty new to the metal scene, yet has a lot of potential to be something amazing later on down the line. Let’s not waste anymore time, and take a look at the first full-length album from the group Shadows. Let’s begin!
(Starting a month early this year, since I didn’t do any research on Irish Metal Bands, and wasn’t thinking of green MTG cards for some reason)
Background
Taken from Bandcamp:
“After the pure magic and fire of the "Into the Nightmare" precursor demo tape, we're thrilled to bring you its full-scale successor and evolution: the unrivaled debut album by Chilean heavy metal cult Shadows. Packing in 30 minutes of legendary songwriting and visionary revivalism "Out for Blood" takes us back to a time, somewhere in the early 80's, when acts like Mercyful Fate, Satan, Death SS, Judas Priest, and Alice Cooper were laying the unforgettable foundations of what would soon become a generational, industry-changing phenomenon: the defining of heavy metal as we know it. A raging and undying fire of searing leads, thundering drums, spooky operatic vocals, ripping guitars, unforgettable hooks and outrageous transgression. With no hesitation or limits to its deathless imagination, Shadows has conceived a classic metal crucible of unparalleled wizardry and dominance, using familiar concepts borrowed from dark b-movies, old comic strips, occultism and esotericism to take the listener down a dark, left-hand path of cinematic storytelling, thrilling fantasy, dark impulses and transgressive paranoia. The ten tracks of "Out for Blood" display a breadth of tricks and expertise rarely seen at such an accomplished level in contemporary NWOTHM and classic metal acts, and this should come as no surprise knowing that Shadows mastermind and main songwriter John Shades (a pseudonym of Cristian Silva of Apostasy fame), has been shaping the pillars of true and untamed underground South American heavy metal for at least three decades. Using a mist of dark, keyboard-laden atmospheres, vorticose melodies and a dominating, dual attack of criss-crossing, blazing razor-sharp solos, Shades and his co-conspirators have unfolded a half-hour of absolute, boundless imagination, covering almost fifty years of heavy metal evolution and transformation, and delving deep into the primordial fabric of the genre's most defining traits, those of technical extremism, frantic intensity, and adrenaline-pumping darkness. A full-frontal assault on the senses where the limitless imagination of epic storytelling and of rare musicianship have converged in creating the ultimate homage, heirloom and celebration to the undying, sacred and eternal flame of heavy metal.”
Basic Description
Past & Present in all the right ways.
Shadows are, in my opinion, one of the metal bands that not only capture the letter of 80s metal nostalgia, but also it’s spirit. Whereas many bands in the “New Wave Of Heavy Metal” movement can only capture either the letter or spirit of the decade, these guys manage to grab both at the exact same time. A lot of the grooves & rhythm’s feel like they were taken straight from the 1980s, and the sound seemingly feels like it comes from that decade as well. In particular, a lot of the scare factor in my view comes across like what King Diamond would use. A little hokey in places (More on that below), but definitely can send a small chill up the spine at times.
Where the more modern (Present) parts come in are with it’s recording & production, as well as another band I think Shadows may have been inspired by. Soundwise, Out For Blood is crisp and clean, yet the modern recording techniques don’t take the 80s nostalgia away. As for who I think inspired them in the more modern sense, I have the sneaking suspicion that it may have been Ghost. I say it’s Ghost, because there are some hooks & rhythms that come straight from records like Infestissumam and Meliora. It could just be me, but I swear that the catchiness I hear and feel was inspired by Papa Emeritus & his Nameless Ghouls at least partially.
Best Track
Nightstalker was definitely the most appropriate track to preview this album to potential listeners, and embodies the combination of styles I mentioned above. You’ve got that Ghost-style hooks, the King Diamond-like creepiness, and the 80s metal vibes. I will say that the creepiness ever so slightly bends towards the cheesy side, but overall the mix is perfectly balanced, and is more than worthy of being the opening song. Don’t you dare skip this tune!
Nightstalker
Worst Track
Like I said when I did my top 5 album list for 2023, Out For Blood is a short album. 32 minutes & 50 seconds to be exact. However, if you cut out the two instrumental tracks (Dream Paralysis & Fullmoon), it plays for 30 minutes & 9 seconds, which definitely is shorter. Whether you skip those two songs or not, you gotta listen to this record a bunch of times to get it stuck in your head. I will say though, it’s definitely worth it!
Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:
Out For Blood
Overall Impression & Rating
Out For Blood was a nice surprise. Sure, it’s on the short side, but it’s compensated by having some incredibly catchy songs with a simple creep factor that draws you in. Their EP before this album planted the seed for future success, and OFB was the plant that came from that seed. If Shadows can put on an album or two that has as much quality as this one did, I got a feeling that the plant might have some nice blossoms later on down the line.
Out For Blood gets an 8 out of 10.
And that was my review of Out For Blood, and the start of my look at the best albums of 2023. We’ve got quite a bit of ground to cover, so join me next week as we get to the first of my no. 4 albums. It’s gonna be really spooky, so see you then!
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If you’d like to visit the band’s Bandcamp page, click on the link below:
Shadows (Bandcamp)
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