Shadowside

                                                                                                         Title: Shades of Humanity

                                                                                                         Label: The EMP Label

                                                                                                         Release Date: 27th July 2017

Having first caught Shadowside at the PPM Festival in Belgium a few years ago and being simply blown away by the enigmatic sultry performance of Lead vocalist Dani Nolden myself and my partner were totally mesmerized by her dominant, high powered stage presence and immediately went to the merch stand to buy their three Albums and tour shirt after their superb show! I then managed to catch Dani for a quick interview unfortunately the zine (sic) I was then writing for never published the interview.

Fast forward to 2017 I managed to catch an in-depth chat with Dani a few months back and found out loads about “Shades of Humanity” and much more and waited with bated breath to get a listen to the Brazilian/ Swedish Metallers latest work.

 

This platter is full of delicious riffs, high octane vocals and killer Metal insanity, that smashes you in the face from the start with “The Fall” its heaviness impresses as Dani Noldens powerful Vocals grasp you around the throat as the band pummel you, combined with Raphael Mattos Riffs shredding and the vigorous rhythm section of former Hammerfall Bassist Magnus Rosén and Fabio Buitvidas on Drums this opener impresses and works you neck muscles!

The “Beast Inside” Rampages and sees Nolden continue to belt out her angst, this woman is so damn talented as the solo from Mattos breaks in and cracks your cranium.  One of my favorite tracks on here is the strong and exceptional “What if” it’s only a tad bit slower than the first two tracks but Dani Nolden continues to stretch her Vocal chords and the meaning of the song cuts deep to the bone.

 

 “Make My Fate” crushes and destroys your brain cells and earth continues to be scorched. Then another favorite on here for me “Insidious Me” its juddering effects combined with its exceptional musicianship are simply divine.

“Stream of Shame” is a must listen as you take in the tragic disaster that saw toxic waste bury a village and kill many in Noldens homeland not so long ago.

Experimental tracks “Drifter" and final track “Alive” will surprise the Bands hard core following, but I think they are both impressive and massively appealing, stuck in between these two tracks you have the stunning “Unreality” this is a must play live (like the whole Album) but this one will have you punching the air in Metal abandonment as you sing your lungs out…Hell Yeah!

 

 “Shadows of Humanity” deals with deep subjects such as Depression, The Mariana Disaster in Brazil, Abortion and man kinds moral values, so yes the subject matter is intense and  it makes for a thoughtful and killer release. I feel The world needs to embrace this latest release as it truly is a monster and hopefully they will head out on a huge tour so we can all be touched again by the “Shades” of Shadowsides magnificent Metal genius, Having not had anything out since 2011 with “Inner Monster Out” you wonder was it worth the wait? I would say without a doubt… YES!

 

Review: Seb Di Gatto    Score: 9.5/10

Reviewed:23/07/2017                            Facebook   

Dani Nolden (vocals)
Raphael Mattos (guitars)
Magnus Rosén (bass)
Fabio Buitvidas (drums)

 

Track listing:

01. The Fall
02. Beast Inside
03. What If
04. Make My Fate
05. Insidious Me
06. The Crossing
07. Stream Of Shame
08. Parade The Sacrifice
09. Drifter
10. Unreality
11. Alive