Screaming Shadows
Night Keeper
Rating
Style: Melodic Power Metal
Release date: 3 October, 2011
Playing time: 46:48
 

This is an Italian (Sardinian) band build around guitarist Francesco Marras. He wrote the songs and found in Gianluigi Girardi (Crown of Autumn) an acceptable singer. With Antonio Doro on bass and as guest Mattia Stancioiu (Vision Divine, Labyrinth, Crown of Autumn) on drums the line up stands. Francesco is a guitar virtuoso that likes his shredding and that can be heard in the songs. Now I come to the weaker part; the songwriting. Several songs are rather intelligent written and listen away nicely, but there are also a few that are just too average and simple. Iron Maiden, Edguy lay on top at times, but then packed in weaker songs.

The style is NWOBHM combined with power metal and a slight progressive touch. Vocalist Gianluigi can't convince me all the time. He can surely sing, but sounds a bit too average to make a difference. Together with the weaker compositions, the album can't impress me. It all sounds too safe; there are so much power metal acts that are just a tad better. With this new album, Screaming Shadows will not make a real step ahead; there are too many bands in this genre that do the same thing. One remark I have to make at the end of this review and that is about the vocals of guest singer Alessandro Marras in the song "Free Again". He sounds a lot like Bruce Dickinson and that isn't very odd if you know he is a singer in an Iron Maiden Tribute band. The weaker part however is that this guest tops the singer of the band and that says a lot. Gianluigi has a warm voice in the lower parts, but his high pitched voice sometimes runs off the rails.

The musicians know what they are doing, but the song writing and the execution of the songs is too weak and without any challenge. Average Italian power metal we have heard a 1000 times before.   


Tracklist

01. Holy Knights
02. Planet X
03. Midnight
04. Who Dares Wins
05. In the Dawn of Time
06. Black Rain
07. Night Keeper
08. Angel of Darkness
09. Free Again
10. Lord of the Sea
11. Cherokee Spirit                                            12. Wild Horses

Label: Jolly Roger Records
Distribution: Jolly Roger Records
Artwork rating: 25/100
Reviewed by: Reinier de Vries
Date: 2 October, 2011
Website: www.myspace.com/screamingshadows