Year : 2019
Style : Power Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 150 mb
Bio:
"At the end, before the beginning, in the forests of Eseroth, there was a band of warriors. With their musical prowess and might, they decided to bring peace to the dying ears of the land, and bring forth a mighty, epic sound of light. They drew their swords and then erased them before the great wars of time. Hark! Evermore! They reached the Kingdom! To the mountains and far away seas, the Warriors of Thunder rode and cried out their deadly attack: “ShadowStrike!” ShadowStrike, from Long Island, New York, delivers a melodic, fast-paced, and grandiose sound to the local music scene. The band’s main objective is to deliver a fully immersive musical experience that includes an entertaining stage show and utilizes both musical and extra-musical thematic content to draw from pre-established tropes within the fantasy genre.Bringing in favoured styles of each member, ShadowStrike creates a unique sound for its American audience. Each member of ShadowStrike has strong family ties to various European backgrounds and traditions. This makes itself apparent in the style of metal that they play by including classical orchestrations, and melodies and themes that are reminiscent of European folk music, all while being mixed in with elements from popular American styles, early video games, and Japanese metal music. In short, the core sound of ShadowStrike’s music can be linked to the musical tendencies of almost every culture immersed in the metal genre: a true American experience!
Album:
My first taste of power metal ever was when I heard DragonForce’s ‘Through the Fire and the Flames’ in my early teens. Aside from my young mind being absolutely fucking blown by how fast they could play (because, when I was eleven, that’s all I gave a shit about), I was entranced by their high vocals, heroic melody, and super long solo section. Ever since then, while I’ve obviously listened to an assload of power metal, there have been very few albums in the genre that have delivered that same intense sense of wonder and excitement.And, in all honesty, ShadowStrike’s Legends of Human Spirit has come damn close to delivering just that. I came across one of the band’s singles completely by chance a few weeks ago and, I have to say, I am so glad that I found them. Considering that Legends of Human Spirit is their first full-length album, and especially considering that they’re from America of all places, I didn’t expect them to be one of the best Power Quest/DragonForce-styled bands on the scene today, but here we are. While still delivering a powerful onslaught of dragonslaying sixteenth notes and astral vocal lines, they add enough originality, such as more varied song structure and heavy symphonic influence, that they even stand above most of the European bands in the space.Seriously. Right out of the gate we’re greeted with a flying guitar line and a ridiculous drum fill before venturing across an expansive, fantastical landscape of neoclassical believe-in-yourself anthems and shredding solos (both key and guitar, obviously). On top of that, we’re blindsided every now and then, such as that sick breakdown and more old school solo in ‘Gales of Winter’. Each song is dynamic and has its own little world to offer.Among my favourite of these glorious songs would have to be ‘A Dream of Stars’ because of that super cheesy synth intro and the ultra-victorious chorus (hey, that rhymes!). And that solo section? Holy fuck. What a song. I know that eleven-year-old-me would have pissed his pants over something like this, because present-day me nearly did.For those of you who grew up on DragonForce and Stratovarius, this album will be a godsend. And, for those of you who are sick of the same generic power metal album, I promise you that Legends of Human Spirit is something special. I sincerely hope that this debut pushes ShadowStrike to continue developing their metal, because they’re certainly capable of taking the North American metal scene by storm.
Line Up:
Matt Krais - Vocals (lead), Guitars
Sean Walls - Guitars, Vocals (backing)
Jon Krais - Bass, Vocals (backing)
Alex Coughlin - Drums, Percussion, Vocals (backing)
Ryan Patane - Keyboards, Vocals (backing) - See also: Optic
Tracklist:
01. Heart for Yearning Journey 07:01
02. Ascension 01:35
03. Fly with Me 04:52
04. Fields of Valour 06:08
05. The Fiery Seas and Icy Winds 08:11
06. Where Sleeping Gods Await 07:39
07. Forever as One 05:07
08. Voice in the Night 07:47
09. A Dream of Stars 06:31
10. Gales of Winter 10:15
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
