Band: Kambrium
Title: Shadowpath
Label: Massacre Records
Distribution: Suburban
Release date: November 25th 2011
Review: CD

Germany’s Kambrium were formed in 2005, but except for a demo (From Treason To Death, 2008) and an EP (A Silent Moon, 2010), they didn’t record anything official – until now.
The quintet (guitar players Karsten Simon and Julian Schenke, Karsten’s brother Martin on vocals and bass, keyboard player / music writer Jan Hein, and drummer Fabian Chmiel) did record this first full length (duration: fifty minutes) in the vein of last year’s A Silent Moon, which means: Epic Metal in several approaches.
It is rather difficult to lock Kambrium up into one or another limiting scene, because this band combines elements from different genres, like Power, Black, Viking, Death, Thrash, Heavy, Pagan, Gothic, Dark, Symphonic, Doom and Whatever Metal, as well as inspirations from Prog, Folk, Ambient and traditional / natural melodies. It goes for all aspects: vocals and instruments, sphere, song structure and sound / production. Let’s explain.
Variety will be a keyword. The vocals, to start with, are random: operatic male vocals, death grunts and growls, blackish screams, clean melodies, thrashing shouts, harmonious choirs. The instrumental approach varies a lot too. The keyboard lines are very present, sometimes back ground-oriented, often playing a leading role as well. Intros and intermezzos, and solo parts, one cannot ignore the hand of Jan Hein. The lead guitars are very important as well. The mainly guitar-driven rockers are both technical and melodic, yet prominent. But especially the heavier pieces are supported gloriously by the rhythm section. The drums and bass lines do not sound too hollow at all; the mix is more than all right. The sphere and song-structures evolve beautifully simultaneously. When it gets heavier, the atmosphere turns blood-red and vengeful, the symphonic-orchestral parts brings one’s mind to dimensions of mystic fairy-tales, the classical parts are rather sad-emotional oriented, the epic excerpts bring back the glory days of Old to mind, and you get the picture: too much is too much. Brings me to the production, finally, which is rather constant, yet sweetly dwelling between catchy and too catchy. That’s a pitiful aspect, for the sound needs Bigger Balls to persuade.
Kambrium’s next release could be a killer. With Shadowpath they’re not there yet. Nothing more to add.

70/100

Ivan Tibos.