'Shadows' is a Power Metal album that should appeal to just about everyone who likes hard hitting Rock music.
It's been a long four year wait for Sinbreed fans, especially as the debut 'When Worlds Collide' was so well received, mainly for being unpretentious, bollocks facing the front Power Metal. Blind Guardian guitarist Marcus Siepen has now joined as a proper member, meaning Sinbreed are now officially a guitar/bass/keyboards/drums band, not forgetting Seventh Avenue man Herbie Langhans, who provides the vocals.
Much like Melodic Rock, sometimes all you want from Power Metal is pace and melody. Yeah, so there's less perms than AOR, and (in this case, anyway) more titles like 'Black Death' and 'Bleed', but essentially a band can do the basics very well and come out smiling. Sinbreed have once again achieved that very thing with 'Shadows', a perfectly paced ten track sophomore album that brings pounding drums, soaring vocals and intricate guitar to your stereo. Fully loaded with the spirit of classic Helloween, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden yet without raping the memory of them, Sinbreed have created a wonderful thing – an album that shoots by without you realizing it. I have gotta say, I do love it when albums do that, because before you know it you've played them six more times and the afternoon is shot. Langhans has a real aggressive, higher pitched voice that has a proper Metal rasp to it, but thankfully he can really carry a tune without descending into Thrash territory.
'Shadows' is a Power Metal album that should appeal to just about everyone who likes hard hitting Rock music. The old school brigade will find plenty to like in the dynamic riffage and retro feel, but it's fresh and intense enough to cater for today's Metal muthas as well.
Alan Holloway
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