Well, Floga Records has done it again and released a band that's every bit as good as the Necrochakal release I reviewed in these pages a while back. Shadowmass, from Greece, has unleashed this, their second full length, and the first in seven years. This is top notch thrash metal with some serious nutsack, with a tinge of blackness in their sound both in the vocals and the instrumentation. The vocals alternate between vicious screams and cleanly but aggressively sung vocals, with true grit and power. It's truly a masterful vocal performance, with satanic lyrics atop it all. The guitar solos are incredible, with melody and harmony, but never giving in and losing that aggression that's so important to their sound. Shadowmass is actually quite technical, with little embellishments and accents all over the place from all the instruments, all while maintaining the ever-important and well-written song structures. Another thing to note is that this band doesn't sound like anyone else that I can think of, they're completely original, and they've clearly polished and honed their craft to a razor's edge for this release. The energy and ferocity of their songs should call metalists from far and wide to pick this record up, as it shall not disappoint.
