1. Exitium 03:55
2. Make It B-rain 04:36
3. Killing 03:08
4. The Age of Dawn 03:05
5. Massacre of Mankind 04:13
6. Final Blow 02:35
7. Skeletal Remains 03:25
8. Tolerance of Intolerance 05:30
9. Felicity 07:18
SHADOWMASS (ex-FADOM) is a newly formed band from Athens. Having a lot of black and death metal elements added in FADOM'S traditional thrash metal style.
&nbsShadowmass offer frenetic, balls-to-the wall thrash metal which rarely diverts from full velocity. Among the hordes of breakneck speed can be found blast-beats, blazing lead breaks, unconventional song structures and riffs riffs riffs! One particular aspect of their sound worth mentioning is Stam's vocal delivery. Coming across like the bastard child of James Hetfield and Matt Drake, his semi-melodic barks are utterly perfect for the style. He is occasionally backed up by thuggish gang-shouts but this technique is not utilized enough. The short sharp blast of "The Final Blow" makes the most of them, and is probably the closest the Greeks get to full-on crossover. "Skeletal Remains" follows suit, bouncing off the walls like a maniac and containing an impressive extended solo section. Drummer Maelstrom, aside from being involved with almost every band ever, deserves praise for his batshit performance on this LP. Constantly busting his balls with lightning velocity but always effortlessly in control.p;
Shadowmass opened their self-titled album in the best way: with the absolute banger that is "Exitium". With some of the best riffs this side of Jeff Waters, a memorable chorus/hookline, and non-stop momentum, it's one of the greatest songs of 2019 without a doubt. "Tolerance Of Intolerance" almost reaches the same heights thanks to its switching between Annihilator-esque pacing and a massive half-time riff in the chorus (though I could've done without the weird start- again breakdown). The other jewel in the crown of this record is the multi-faceted finale "Felicity".
At almost 8-minutes, it outlasts every other track here by quite a way and features some of the coolest, most menacing melodies to come from a thrash act (and check out that wicked scream at 4:47!).
Those with a lower attention span might have trouble sticking with Shadowmass due to its frenzied structuring. It really is all over the place - practically bouncing off the walls with uncontrolled energy. Stick with it, give it time and repeated listens to let the more memorable sections embed in your brain, and it's a very rewarding experience. Also, at a mere 37 minutes, it doesn't outstay its welcome. From the hard-hitting "Make It B-Rain" to the thrashtastic "The Age Of Dawn", Shadowmass have come to thrash your brains out. Wonderfully produced and expertly written, Greece has come to the rescue of a year which hasn't been too kind to my favourite sub-genre.
Line up:
Stamatis Syrakos - Guitars, Vocals
Constantine - Bass guitar
Maelstrom – Drums
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Mihail Karpathiou at Dstudio, Athens.
Artwork crafted by Khaos Diktator design.
