Fresh music from Rochester, NY based Alternative Metal band Shadowborn today! Their debut EP "End Of An Age" is now available in digital format, and physical copies will be available at their CD release party on Friday, August 10th at Flour City Station in Rochester, NY.
Despite their self-imposed label of Alternative Metal, Jesse Halstead (Vocals) conjures visions of a long lost era of metal. With a towering voice that fits right along with the likes of Ronnie James Dio or Bruce Dickinson, Halstead shows the power of his vocals as well as his strong songwriting abilities all over this EP.
So what separates this band from traditional Power Metal? Well, for one thing, they're not telling fantasy stories. These songs are based on their experiences in forming the band, dealing with troubles, and the long and arduous journey to band practice.
Keith Goehner and Sean Augustus (Guitars) weave an intricate web of melody throughout this mostly fast paced offering. There are soulful passages as well as blistering, note-laden solos. Patches O'Brayer (Bass) shows a flashy and unique style on his instrument, with a definitive set of tones. Troy Olmstead (Drums) plays a style that serves the songs perfectly rather than one that's too risky or egocentric.
These songs sound crisp. Every instrument is clear and easy to pick out in the mix. "End Of An Age" is a pro level recording, which is great news for a debut EP for this band. Usually, I would have something to say about the mix of an independent recording, but this is not the case with Shadowborn. Quality matters, folks.
One of the most difficult challenges as a reviewer is to provide some kind of constructive criticism. In this case, it's very difficult because this is a rock solid release. I could say that the ballad feel of "Bygone Times" interrupts the fast pace of the other songs, but that only serves to show that this band has dynamic capability. Run times longer than 5 minutes may find trouble making it to radio, but the second song "Empire" solves this by coming in just a touch over 4 minutes.
Classic Metal isn't going to appeal to everybody. Modern metal is full of growlers and punching double bass runs. Shadowborn doesn't care about that stuff, and they prefer to write music with melody and feeling. If you can't respect the classics such as Iron Maiden, Dio, and Deep Purple, are you even a metal head? Is there some new term for the new school of listeners?
Hopefully this release goes well for the band and they find it necessary to record more songs!
But of course, YOU should always judge for yourself! Be sure to check out "End Of An Age" right away!
"END OF AN AGE"
Type: EP release
Release date: August 1st, 2018
Label: Self-released
Track listing:
01. End Of An Age (5:08)
02. Empire (4:08)
03. Bygone Times (5:15)
04. Follow The Stones (6:08)
How to get it:
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Bandcamp:
Spotify:
Soundcloud:
THE VERDICT:
5 out of 5 Skulls
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