Shadows - horror-gothic heavy metal for fans of Mercyful Fate

Shadows

Out for Blood

Sentient Ruin Laboratories

May 19th, 2023

Not all “horror” bands are the same. Some of those bands are not able to make quality music because they are more concerned with the image rather than with music. It makes sense, though, time in a day is limited and if one spends most waking hours on developing the gimmicks, personas, designing masks, making outfits, stage presentation, getting attention in the press, going viral, in addition to the normal matters involved in working together in band, then how much time is left for writing music? On the other hand, this Chilean entity fits in the "horror" category, but perhaps the reason the music is good is precisely because it is music-focused, not gimmick-centered. The quality of the melodies, singing and overall songs are a welcoming invitation. Shadows seeks a sound that is both melodic and ominous at the same time. Experience also helps. Cristián Silva, the man behind Shadows, is more known for the long-running band Apostasy. Whereas Apostasy is associated with thrash-based black metal, Shadows is melodic traditional heavy metal with elements from horror and gothic styles, and in some ways fans of a band like Mercyful Fate will detect the influence. Some of these Shadows songs sound rather ear-friendly and full of melody, while others lean a lot more in the direction of the horror-gothic elements, while keeping the melodies. Regardless, it’s all done well. This is a very pleasant surprise, especially given that I saw the label “horror” associated with this music and I had low expectations. No need to worry, the quality of the music is good. I am not sure that this is a human drummer because the drums sound relatively stiff and not very animated. Even with that shortcoming, fans of ominous yet melodic songwriting may want to look into this Chilean project.

Out for Blood by SHADOWS

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