Today, children, we’ll address the question of what makes a metal band truly “metal.” Some people say it’s the hair. Some, the face paint.  Maybe it’s the guitars. The lyrics? The music itself? Or is it some aesthetic, ever so slightly beyond our conscious grasp, that unifies bands who seemingly are not metal yet always hang out with bands that unquestionably are?
The answer to the above question is: the attitude, or the aesthetic.  And some bands manage to convey their metalness by acting like a bunch of crazy hopped up demons. Take, for example, Shadows Land. They’re metal in the way that only slobbering, screaming madmen with instruments ever could be. They capture all the raw aggression and primal instinct of metal, with none of the refinement, purposeful lyrics, or artistic intent.

You could say, in fact, that they just make a lot of noise. And on top of that, it’s completely unpredictable noise, with no discernible pattern or coherency. Abrupt mood shifts abound. One minute you’ll hear an electronic beat and synths; the next, a crazy riff with a vocalist who’s clearly off his rocker, and has long since converted his rocker to a make-shift banana boat for sailing rivers of blood.

If you like the crazier metal bands that most of us find intolerable, you’ll like Shadows Land. If you’re a fan of Cadaver or other technical death metal acts (think Cryptopsy, made raw and black metal-y and shrill and sharp), you should definitely give Ante Christum (Natum) a listen. The band manages to do some cool stuff across the album’s nearly 40 minute duration, but the general randomness of it all leaves me confused and seeking musical solace elsewhere.
 

Track List:
1) Hybrid
2) My name are three sixes
3) Z PAGE IA-  IDON ODMICALZO...
4) Decimal
5) Last Way
6) Vortex
7) You are God
8) I'm Dead
9) b.o.r.y.s.S.IX
10) Flash
11) Smell of Pain
12) Pagan Fears

Shadows Land is:
ARO.666 - lead and rhythm guitars, all vocals
J NEREXO - drums and percussion
R.af "Buzzer" - lead and rhythm guitars
Paul - bass guitars
T. Borys - industrial synth and samples

Shadows Land - Official Site:
http://www.shadowsland.metal.pl/

Osmose Productions:
http://www.osmoseproductions.com

07/13/04