Shadows is an up-and-coming German blackened death thrash metal band, and outside of a demo from 2022, Miseria is their first official release. 9 songs in 48 minutes with a classically named song in the occult realm – “As Above so Below”. No fancy intro, just a robust organic production. There are some nods to bands such as Goatwhore and even Midnight. I find some of the musical structures of Shadows to have a black ‘n roll galloping feel to it. This track certainly borrows from some thrash metal with the gallop, and Dejan Milenkovits has more of a throaty, less raspy vocal delivery. He knows how to craft some great riffs, too, alongside Martin Bermheden. There are definite melodic harmonies throughout this opener. Joél Cirera has a killer drum sound on this,s and I especially love the sound of the double bass drums. Andreas Holm’s bass guitar adds to the rhythm section and has a nice tone to it. Lots of headbanging moments on this song.

After a bunch of mid-paced tunes, “Nadir (No Consent)” picks up the pace, again, more of that Goatwhore blackened death thrashing speed. The gallop at the 50-second mark is terrific, and you’re going to want to hold up the metal horns on this part. The song slides right into a mid-paced, double bass-heavy groove, before that blackened death thrashing madness erupts. The vocals are enunciated well, and he has a pissed off tone to his style – really well done. The mid-paced section allows for the rhythm section to shine. These moments would be quite a lot of fun to witness in a live environment. Scorching song and a lot of fun. There are some nods to Skeletonwitch as well, so that is a plus in my book. Talk about a band that has not released an album in forever – come on Skeletonwitch – what’s going on??

“A Séance” has a ferocious opening moment, and the speed and intensity, although never getting into blast beat territory, are pretty damn intense. The galloping madness afterwards is absolutely catchy as hell, and as I mentioned earlier, this production is amazing. Some nifty drum rolls are all over the place on this song, and he hits those cymbals as if they done him wrong. This song truly sounds like Goatwhore, and the blackened death thrashing intensity never lets up on the accelerator. Dejan lets out some excellent screams and growly vocals.. About midway through the song, we are greeted with an atmospheric slow part. Check out the guitar harmonies in this section. This moment stretches almost the distance until the fast section returns, and boom – this song is a favorite of mine for 2025.

Miseria was being touted as a black metal release, until I delved further into the album, and Shadows incorporates thrash, death, and even some stylistic influences not far removed from Midnight. The organic production adds a warmth and natural sound to their menace. There are many catchy moments throughout this album, and as far as debut albums go, for 2025, this may be the best. I am very much looking forward to future releases from Shadows.

[Visit the band's website]

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