OK, time for a (very long) review
Shadowminds - A cool name for a great album opener and finale for live shows. Right from the start we hear a common theme of the album, very successful and tasteful use of electronic sounds. The song itself is very well known by now. Dynamic, epic, catchy, a bit more on the DT side with some IF flavor. When it came out I thought that melodic/solo section was sticking out a bit, but I'm used to it now.
9/10
Days of the Lost - Maybe the most Clayman-era IF-sounding song on the album. Keeps the tempo up all the time, has fantastic melodies and Mikael singing just works so well in this one. I have a minor gripe with the first solo as it builds up beautifully and ends abruptly in a weird way. Riff after the second solo is something every melodeath song should have. I actually like this one more than when it came out.
8.5/10
The Needles End - We're back at DT territory. Nice dark melody in the beginning and some serious mid 90s riffing and drumming. Third song in a row with a catchy chorus without it being total radio-friendly cringefest. Also, third song in a row that doesn't repeat the same formula and can surprise you with a break, riff or melodic line. Nice warm guitar tone in the end. Ends too soon however and they could have extended this part (I guess they didn't want to because of the next song's intro).
8.5/10
Conditional - Beautiful opening. I love how they let things breathe and develop the same melodic idea without rushing to get to the first chorus. Intro this calm makes the first riff even better and more impactful. The first minute of this song has to be the best thing in the genre in the last 20 years or so. Pounding drums in the verse and again, nice use of electronic layers to spice things up without taking over the song. Epic, catchy chorus that shits over most music today. Good decision not to have a proper solo in this one. Short song, but flows so well.
9.5/10
In Broken Trust - I guess this is how DT was supposed to sound around year 2010 but failed. The intro riff sounded better live, much heavier while on the album it has some weird layers over/under it. The verse is pure evil with some great melodic, harmonized riffing in the end. Not sure about the chorus though. Not bad, cool melodic work in the background, but these cleans don't work for me. Good change of pace and style with this solo, a bit more chaotic and interesting than on the rest of the album.
8/10
Gateways - Hands down the best modern DT song.
That chorus hits so hard. Stanne's voice is so convincing and works so well with background sounds. Cool melodic work towards the end and some unexpected arpeggios on keyboards as well. Nothing to spectacular individually, but every note adds up to a great and a very emotional song.
9/10
A Truth Worth Lying For - Quite disappointed with this one. Not a bad song, but sounds much better live than on the album. The intro is a bit Ropes-like and there are other parts of this song that sound strangely familiar. Again, don't think cleans work well here. It should have been growls or much higher and powerful clean singing. Cool acoustics in the end, BUT I miss the clapping hands from the live version. That sounded so epic.
8/10
Feel What I Believe - Another one we know well. Maybe the strongest song on the album. The way riffs are constantly building the tension up is fantastic. Some good ol' melodeath in the verses, catchy chorus, harmonies everywhere, Mikael spitting his lines with such conviction and power... Nice, groovy riffs to break things up a bit and then back to that chorus. I can't find a fault in this one so I'm gonna do what I never do and give this a
10/10.
Last of Our Kind - Interesting decision to open with classical instead of guitars. Good riff. You can hear Jesper from DZ or even The Resistance clearly. Maybe not a great song on it's own but works really well in the context of the whole album. Some ASOP sound in that melodic break towards the end. The Trivium guy did a solid job although I was never a big fan of his voice.
8/10
The Most Alone - Fuck, they didn't need a melody in this intro. Chords only had such a depressive, cinematic quality. Walking in the night, rain falling, something bad about to happen and stuff like that. Melodic line over that was pretty generic and to happy sounding. Stanne sounds really evil on this one and the chorus is great again. The solo part comes out of nowhere. Really good and in another song it would've killed, but feels out of place with the tone of this song. This one sounded better live. Maybe could have ended with a longer fade out section or something.
8/10
In total, this might be
the best album of the genre in the last 20+ years. 9/10 for me and would've given it an additional 0.5 if they included all those cool acoustics they have lying around the studio. Can't wait to see what's next.
