Review SHADE EMPIRE ‘Sunholy’

Shade Empire haven’t just been around since a few years. It was in 1999 when the Finns got together to start a journey through the worlds of melodic black- and death metal. However, it took until 2004 before the debut album was revealed to the metal community and these days the time has come; with ‘Sunholy’ the Finns deliver their sixth full-length album.

‘Sunholy’ is the first studio record with a new singer. Henry Hämäläinen took over the place behind the microphone in 2017, however it was still his predecessor who sang the previous record ‘Poetry of the Ill-Minded’.

‘Sunholy’, the title is composed of ‘sun’ and ‘unholy’. This play on words is deliberately chosen, as it is always about the spheres of contrasts. Be it good and evil, light and dark or believing and heretical – it is always those poles that obsess mankind.

Shade Empire have implemented this theme well right away on the first song of the new record. ‘In Amongst the Woods’ is a song which reflects all components of the band. Rough and harsh vocals are paired with heavy riffs. In contrast, clean vocals come into the picture and there are symphonic melodies, which provide the song with a well-made contrast. On the one hand, the song embodies the beauty of Finnish nature and at the same time makes it clear that it is this nature which can also demand a lot from people.

Also worth mentioning is the epic ‘This Coffin an Island’, which is a throbbing masterpiece which includes a well-place saxophone section before the dramatic title track impresses the listener. It is one of the hammering songs, with the harmonic moments clearly taking a back seat. Unholy wins over sun, one could say.

With ‘Maroon’ the guys scratch the 8-minute mark. The song shows clearly that the band is able to provide a cinematic song with such a length with the necessary variety by using their skills and talent. Since twists and turns appear over and over again, there is never a moment of dullness.

Towards the end it gets really atmospheric with ‘Rite of Passage’. It is a quiet and melancholic closing of the record. Even though the song builds up slowly, the epic soundscapes with clean vocals predominate. It’s as if the first rays of the sun dispel the time of darkness.

Six years after their previous album, Shade Empire deliver a rock solid new record. The band finds the sweet spot between harsh and melodic respectively loud and quiet. This makes ‘Sunholy’ to an entertaining record which, due to the very good sound, also bursts out of the speakers with the adequate impact.