GRAVESHADOW – Nocturnal Resurrection
- by Matt Coe
- Posted on 09-12-2015
Hailing from Sacramento, California, Graveshadow are a sextet that mutate elements of gothic/symphonic metal into heavier, crunchier power meets semi-thrash terrain on their debut album "Nocturnal Resurrection". Dual clean/extreme vocals from Heather Michele lean more towards the former, and for my money the latter needs to be phased out as they aren’t convincing and act as a dynamic deterrent to the catchy musical hooks on display.
The exploration of cleaner instrumental sections during "In the Roar of Desire" for instance gives the band extra depth, as the keyboards aren’t necessarily taking the lead in the riff department, providing adequate ambiance for the guitar interplay between Will Walker and Matt Mitchell. Everything from Savatage to Nightwish and Euro-metal comes up when taking in "Lycan Lust" and the brooding closer "Blood and Fire".
An interesting metal cocktail that should gain equal appreciation from the symphonic and regular metal camps, Graveshadow could be a band to watch in the coming years as there’s an abundance of talent and ideas to enjoy.
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