SHADOWSIDE – Theatre Of Shadows

In the year 2000, the Heavy Metal band Crystal Mirror broke up, and two of that group’s members, Bill Shadow and Dani Nolden, formed Shadowside. The group released a six-song EP the following year, and started to gather a following in their home country of Brazil.

The quintet was then to release their full-length debut album Theatre Of Shadows. All of the songs from the EP are represented here, along with six brand-new compositions (eight on the Japanese and European releases).

Shadowside plays an up-tempo, fast-paced style of Heavy Metal in the vein of bands such as Helloween and Gamma Ray, with lots of hard-hitting guitar riffs and rapid-fire drumming, interspersed with occasional keyboard parts (played by Nolden, who also handles vocals).

Like many Metal albums, Theatre Of Shadows opens with a brief mood-setting intro (“Enter The Shadowside”), before settling down to business with the first “real” song, “Vampire Hunter,” a fast-moving track bracketed with a pair of Bruce Dickinson-worthy screams from Nolden. This song is good, but the album doesn’t really start cooking until the third track, “Highlight,” which features some cool riffs and a catchy “shout it out” chorus. Nolden’s vocals on this song are powerful and forceful, grabbing you by the ear and not letting go.

Actually, Nolden’s vocals on all of the album’s songs are strong, with plenty of melodic power and dynamic delivery, and she can scream, wail, yell, and growl just as good as the boys can. Every band (especially a new one) needs a commanding, charismatic singer if they want to make a name for themselves, and with Nolden, Shadowside has someone who can do that for them. Nolden isn’t a really nuanced or subtle vocalist, but that comes with experience.

Shadowside isn’t a one-woman show though. Everyone else knows what to do, and they’re good at their jobs. The guitar duo of Bill Shadow and Ricky Slater turn out lots of strong, fast-paced riffs and decent solos, and the rhythm section of drummer Fabio Buitvidas and bassist Lucas de Santis is solid. Put all these elements together, and the end result is an album that’s a lot of fun to listen to, with no bad or boring songs.

Besides the above-mentioned tracks, other good tunes on Theatre Of Shadows are “We Want A Miracle” and “Believe In Yourself,” which are fun and catchy. The best song is probably “Red Storm,” which has a great riff and chorus. “Queen Of the Sky” is a more mid-paced track, but it has good atmosphere, as does “Kingdom of Life.” Mid-paced is as slow as it gets on this album; Shadowside doesn’t want to lull you to sleep with a gentle ballad, they want to kick your ass, as speedily and loudly as possible. Kickin’ accomplished.

Shadowside is a young band (only one member is older than 25), but they have the poise and confidence of veterans; with an album’s worth of experience under their belts, it’ll be interesting to see what they do next.