| CD REVIEW Edenshade |
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Band : Edenshade With music that is described as the missing link between the modern Swedish Death Metal scene (check bands such as In Flames and Dark Tranquillity) and the technical Progressive beauty of the likes of Dream Theatre and Pain Of Salvation, Italy’s Edenshade has always had a certain attraction factor to both fans and media. To date, they recorded two early demos (1999’s Shades Of Duality and 2001’s Love Injuring Criteria), and two albums (2003’s Ceramic Placebo For A Faint Heart, issued through Arthreia Records, and 2006’s The Lesson Betrayed, released through My Kingdom Music)…the latter of which (which was the first recording in the band’s own studio as opposed to earlier material, which was recorded at Rome’s Outer Sound Studio under the productional guidance of studio owners Guiseppe Orlando and Massimiliano Pagliuso) was eventually sent to us (almost a year after the original release) for review (posted 06/03/2007). In retrospect (because I was so impressed with what they delivered on that album that I went out and eventually managed to get myself the band’s debut as well), it’s safe to say that the sophomore album was a step up for the band, with the Death Metal and Progressive elements becoming influences in a slightly more complex whole, which was definitely unique! 2008 was to become a very important year for the band, as they had just struck a longterm deal with management agency Alkemist Fanatix Europe. With their British collaborators in mind (yes, I àm talking about the people at Copro) plans were made to release The Lesson Betrayed in the UK, which was to be followed by a full-blown tour over there. The idea being to provide the band with a footstep out of Italy! But inside the band motivations were fading, and the tour which was originally planned for April was first postponed to November, then cancelled as the band’s members went their own way leading to the dissipation of the band. Guitarist Stefano Wosz however, was not of a mind to give up, and had gone back to his studio to start pre-production on a bunch of songs he’d up his sleeve for a new album, aided in this by his old friend Enrico Tiberi (on guitar, keyboards, and other electronics…hey, would he be a brother of the band’s former basssist Daniele Tiberi?). With the songs growing ever more (Stefano adding more electronics himself) and the band dying out to non-existence, Stefano eventually made the reasonable assumption none of the other guys was interested in goin’ further, dismissed the rest of the former bandmembers from its line-up, recruited Enrico into it, and made the decision to take up vocal duties as well. Now at least things could move on…and when the first 4 songs were finished, the guys and their management decided they were simply too good to not be shared already with the fans. It would also be a good way to tie the fans over, whil waiting for an upcoming full-length album. So, in January of 2009 the band made this 4-track EP available through several digital outlets (iTunes, amazonmp3, napster, hmv.com, and their own store) and eventually they struck a deal with Copro for the physical distribution of it! Which is how we got our greedy hands on it, of course! So…what’s the difference with Edenshade’s music of the past? Well, to start with the vocals are somewhat rougher overall, even if there àre moments when Stefano sings a lot “cleaner”. People who loved the Edenshade of the past need not worry though, as from what’s delivered here it seems clear that Stefano was one of the masterminds behind the music! Indeed, the Progressive beauty/ complexity remains, the Death Metal influences (both vocally and musically) are still there…but there’s perhaps a bit more electronics adding to the constructed chaos (sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it?). There’s also room for a calmer, more intimate moment, as in the short (only 65 seconds) “Swallow”. Well, calmer…emotions certainly run a high and a low in this short track! Yep, if you ask me, Edenshade’s sound has again gone through some change into a positive direction…and if you don’t believe me, all you need to do is to surf to either edenshade.com or myspace.com/edenshade. In both cases you can listen to àll four tracks off the EP (but the MySpace page doés have the advantage of also having songs off the previous albums posted!). End conclusion: those among you who’ve had the fortune to come across this band before simply nééd to go get themselves this EP (in the hopes that these songs will be exclusive to it). Others…well, all I can say is I’m adding the EP to my year-lists, and that’s all! 98/100 Tony. |
