Evanesce was born from the ashes of Hardcore band Withdrawn (UK) and “Secure the Shadow” is their second… and last album. Founding member and core songwriter Martin Von-Bargen decided that enough was enough and left the band and shortly after the remaining members decided to lay Evanesce to rest. What we have here is pure Melodic Death Metal with… sadly, a mediocre production. The sound is too strident for my taste and even after numerous listens I still find this album no more than mediocre. There are a few great riffs to be found here on “Secure the Shadow” but all in all it’s certainly not a groundbreaking album at all… nor a stunning musical experience in my humble opinion. Every track, except for one, is quite boring and the music goes in one ear and out the other. The only track that does something for me is, “Into the Silent Morning”. Well… to be honest “Hate Male” is also a quite good track… just take a listen to the riffs in this song, pure Death Metal the way it should be played, but the poor production somehow destroy this track… damn. So, the tools are here but Evanesce simply cannot figure out how to pry the toolbox open. Of course it all comes down to a matter of taste and if you’re a genre fan visit No Face Records and check Evanesce out for your self. Next! |
