Shadows Land Ante Christum (Natum)
Osmose Productions - OPCD 160/N°4267-2 - 2004
By Rodrigo Escandon
Apparently, the members of Polands Shadows Land are big fans of albums like Zos Kia Cultus, Grand Declaration of War and Calculating Infinity. I too love those albums, especially the latter two. However, it escapes me how one band, in this case Shadows Land, saw enough similarities between these albums to attempt to combine the three very distinct styles of music. Well, maybe attempting wasnt the hard part but the execution is a whole other story.
Most of you should know the reference of stop and go driving. Its when you are sitting in traffic on a freeway and you go for a little bit but then you come to a complete stop, a process that can, and usually is, repeated often. Now, as a person who lives in Los Angeles and knows this sort of thing first hand, I can tell you that I am not the only one who finds it very irritating to deal with this sort of traffic on a daily basis. Well, that is exactly what I feel when listening to Ante Christum; extremely irritated, because this is stop and go music. Yes bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan at their basic level play music in this sort of style, but their songs have a point to them. In other words, the tracks will change directions, tempos and riffs without hesitation, but they feel and sound structured. The songs by Shadows Land do not, by any means of the word, have a point. I feel and hear no structure in any of them. Instead we get the pleasure of listening to a bunch of riffs thrown together, and the band hope we wont notice and thus will like the end result.
Sorry to break it out to you Shadows Land but what is noticeable is the accomplishment of making a bold merging of black metal and metalcore that goes nowhere. It also doesnt help matters when your singer is trying very hard to sound like Negral of Behemoth (who is also from Poland) or when a large part of your music sounds too like Mayhems Grand Declaration of War to call it coincidence. Oh yeah, those two-wannabe techno, sci-fi instrumentals are also pretty useless.
3/10
Shadows Land Official Website
Osmose Productions Official Website
Osmose Productions - OPCD 160/N°4267-2 - 2004
By Rodrigo Escandon
Apparently, the members of Polands Shadows Land are big fans of albums like Zos Kia Cultus, Grand Declaration of War and Calculating Infinity. I too love those albums, especially the latter two. However, it escapes me how one band, in this case Shadows Land, saw enough similarities between these albums to attempt to combine the three very distinct styles of music. Well, maybe attempting wasnt the hard part but the execution is a whole other story.
Most of you should know the reference of stop and go driving. Its when you are sitting in traffic on a freeway and you go for a little bit but then you come to a complete stop, a process that can, and usually is, repeated often. Now, as a person who lives in Los Angeles and knows this sort of thing first hand, I can tell you that I am not the only one who finds it very irritating to deal with this sort of traffic on a daily basis. Well, that is exactly what I feel when listening to Ante Christum; extremely irritated, because this is stop and go music. Yes bands like The Dillinger Escape Plan at their basic level play music in this sort of style, but their songs have a point to them. In other words, the tracks will change directions, tempos and riffs without hesitation, but they feel and sound structured. The songs by Shadows Land do not, by any means of the word, have a point. I feel and hear no structure in any of them. Instead we get the pleasure of listening to a bunch of riffs thrown together, and the band hope we wont notice and thus will like the end result.
Sorry to break it out to you Shadows Land but what is noticeable is the accomplishment of making a bold merging of black metal and metalcore that goes nowhere. It also doesnt help matters when your singer is trying very hard to sound like Negral of Behemoth (who is also from Poland) or when a large part of your music sounds too like Mayhems Grand Declaration of War to call it coincidence. Oh yeah, those two-wannabe techno, sci-fi instrumentals are also pretty useless.
3/10
Shadows Land Official Website
Osmose Productions Official Website
