Reclaimer won’t go over your head – but it is sure to move that head in relation to your torso. It achieves its intensity through a freewheeling George Lucas-ian sense of scope rather than the intricate Kubrick-esque attention to detail. It’s fun that straddles the line between pure adrenaline and careful crafting, and though it comes with its share of tropes imperfections, it proves remarkably easy to just kick back and enjoy. Much like a Halo game, Reclaimer successfully blends absurd violence with unmistakable flair and a sense of constant adventure. Shadow of Intent‘s music may not be for everyone, but it certainly does their source material justice. “The Prophet’s Beckoning” utilizes just about all he has to give 2 plus a little help from Lorna Shore‘s Tom Barber, adding up to make one of the album’s catchiest and all-around best efforts. For his part, Ben Duerr provides a staggering diversity of vocals from hardcore cleans to black metal rasps, tough-guy deathcore grunts and slammy gutturals. Closer “The Tartarus Impalement” stacks wandering melodies against grooves with an almost samba swagger, and unlike a lot of shredders out there, Wisemann often ducks out, putting the vocals and orchestration front and center. Chris Wisemann just never stops delivering quality riffs and leads, compelling chord progressions, and catchy hooks.
In some ways, Reclaimer has retained the feeling of being a two-man show, and it’s the guitar and vocal work which dominate the album, and while the accompaniment to the Weisman/Duerr duo proves capable, it is unmistakably an accompaniment.īut this is hardly an issue. It’s immediately clear that Shadow of Intent have not skipped a beat since their last album despite moving from a two-man bedroom project to a fully-realized five piece.
Reclaimer continues the formula while building on Primordial‘s success spacious melodies, huge breakdowns, guitar acrobatics at every myriad turn, and a wide array of guest vocalists to compliment Ben Duerr’s already formidable pipes.Īfter an epic stage-setting “The Return” picks up where Reclaimer left off – speedy melodeath riffing, melodic leads, and a gripping chorus with double-tracked harsh/clean vocals. Its melodies are catchy in the extreme, its tone flat-out epic, and its songs are some of the most fun and gripping that the year had to offer. Though an obvious entry into progressive and technical deathcore 1 a la Born of Osiris, Winds of Plague and Rings of Saturn, Primordial felt – and still feels – like few other albums. The band’s uncompromising sound was not only inventive, but adventurous and brilliantly gripping.
Last year’s Primordial put Shadow of Intent on the map. So what to call Shadow of Intent‘s maximalism? One is tempted to string together a handful of adjectives before the “-core” suffix and reel in disgust, but there’s a simpler solution this is the brutal version of power metal. Spin your typical euro-cheese disc and there’s nary a pig squeal, breakdown or slam in earshot. After all, not a lot of power metal albums feature guest spots from the vocalists of Ingested, Slaughter to Prevail, Infant Annihilator, and Lorna Shore. While these are all key to Shadow of Intent‘s unique style, they’re really only half of what’s going on in R eclaimer. Florid guitar lines, cheesy orchestration, slick production, and ridiculous space fantasy lyrics (pulled straight from the Halo video games) are elements you’d expect for a band of central European hair-conditioner-connoisseurs.
Shadow of Intent have a lot in common with your typical power metal band.