So my reviews for 2013 start with something dark, evil and menacing in the form of Greek black metallers Enshadowed whose third full length has taken some time to come out after the sophomore in 2003, though the band has a shower of splits over the years that have fattened out their discography since then. Initially once the album starts I was thinking the bands music was to be more akin to death metal than black savagery due to the style of the drums, but once the razor sharp riffing gets underway this Greek outfit will certainly obliterate any remnants of 2012 from your memory as “Stary Throne Of It” is a blasting amalgamation of furious riffing coupled to a rhythm section that wouldn’t be amiss on a death metal or deathrash album.
As this album goes into “Is Venit Ex Abyssus” I felt the drum sound was a little dull and lacking in thunderous impact though the complexity and speed are resolute in each tune, with occasional bomb blasting being used to great effect, especially on “The Scenario”. The previous tune to this harks right back to 80s dirty thrashing deathliness with a bruising double kick carving the path for the blasted snare. There are a lot of bands this can be compared to but suffice to say Enshadowed thankfully don’t resort to rehashing riffs and rebranding them for today’s market. I thoroughly enjoyed the Dark Funeral like “Dethroned” which reminded of that bands debut with a ferocious riff signalling a snare roll and subsequent blast. The band has a tendency to inject slower more melodious segments into their songs for variety which work well and avoid jarring the momentum of the songs.
There are obvious links to Marduk on “The Dual Hypnosis Of Nihil” which also boasts some death metal elements as well. The monstrous explosion of snare is thunderous with the double kick equating to a repeated jack hammer raining down continuously throughout its onslaught. The riff change was excellent and accompanied by a drop in pace though the double kick refuses to give in I might add. It all works well as the sequencing of the song is finely balanced leaving only the title track to close the album off in fine epic elongated style. A slow croaky vocal begins the tune which firmly stays in a slower more progressively dark atmosphere. Personally I would have preferred the track to have some all out bedlam for variety but all in all the tune ends an album that has certainly got 2013 under way with some rabid blackened beastliness.
(7.5/10 Martin Harris)
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