Apoch's Metal Review - Shadowside: Inner Monster Out CD Review

Discography	Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed.
Full-Length(s):	Theatre of Shadows (2005) • Dare to Dream (2009) • Inner Monster Out (2011)
EP(s):	Shadowside (2001)
Single(s):	Baby in the Dark (2008)

Review

Shadowside is a female fronted Heavy Metal / Power Metal act that comes to us from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The group actually formed back in 2001, and has been active for quite some time, issuing an EP in the same year, then two full-length albums and a single for their last release, Dare to Dream. Sadly, the band is not too well known despite the fact that they are in the midst of a ten year anniversary at the time of this review, but that hasn't stopped Shadowside any. The group returned to the studio and bring us their third full-length release, Inner Monster Out. But, will this effort be the one to shed some light on this group in the current state of the Metal universe?

The audio quality to Inner Monster Out is actually pretty clean, and that does kind of hurt the material a bit. The guitars don't really feel sterilized by it, but at the same time they don't really have much of an impact most of the time the music is meant to be heavier. However, it does work during the catchier, more hook-driven moments such as the chorus to some tracks like "My Disrupted Reality," and given the pace of the song, the guitars can create a heavier more aggressive sound at times, like with the more attitude driven Heavy Metal assault "I'm Your Mind." Because of this, the bass does shine through a little more, coming through a little louder and distinctive in the final mix, but it feels a little higher in pitch due to the cleaner quality and doesn't really give off much support to the guitars, but still manages to give it a bit more of a bite then it had. The drums sound pretty good on this release though, benefitting greatly from this. The snares sound rich and vibrant, the bass kicks have a great sound with a bit of a click to them without going overboard with it, and the cymbols sound loud and fantastic, really filling the audio nicely when the guitars or bass don't quite hold up, and really being restrained a bit when those two guitars do work well together to create a catchier and/or heavier sound, such as with "A Smile Upon Death." The vocals here are a nice mix of the two styles. The cleaner audio causes the female vocals to have to be a bit more enthusiastic, and for the Power Metal approach they definitely have a good amount of energy while being softer and more soothing, though the Heavy Metal attitude will shine through and bring in a bit of a more commanding attitude that you'd expect to hear from from a vocalist of an early NWOBHM act.

But, with that said, the album is a bit of a mixed grab musically. Yes the group goes between the Heavy and Power Metal styles, but while the group can bring a decent amount of heaviness and have a strong edge to their tracks, Shadowside is not afraid to make their material feel more mainstream as well, having some tracks that one could argue are more rooted in Alternative Rock then anything else. These tracks are more found throughout the album later on though, and the album does give signs that it will happen as you journey on, but Inner Monster Out does start off and primarily focus on mixing the Heavy and Power Metal styles together, and it does a decent job at that. "Gag Order" has that more commanding Heavy Metal attitude to it while presenting some catchier Power Metal hooks to it. The overall sound of the song is a little lighter, kind of bordering on a mainstream sound thanks in part to the cleaner production, but it's not that bad a track and ends up being pretty catchy. And, wtih the following track "Angel with Horns" and it's fantastic mixture of more bass-driven music that brings up NWOBHM ideas with infectiously melodic music throughout, especially in the chorus which will have you headbanging along against your free will, it's clear that this album is going to be a little easier going and varying between lighter music and material with an edge pending the attitude of the song. However, this track does offer so distorted vocals that immediately bring up throught of Synth-based material, which is something that does pop up here and there throughout the album. On this song, that bit does not work at all sadly and just feels awkward. There's even a bit of a breakdown towards the end of the song that acts as a build to the guitar solo, and it works, but like the distortion feels a little awkward.

"Habitchaul" is where some fans will end up parted. This song has a decent heaviness to it, but again it feels a bit mainstream oriented, kind of along the lines of an Alternative Rock meets early Hard Rock attitude, leading to the most radio-friendly track off the album. The chorus is simple and uplifting, and really drives the first of those two styles home. But, this isn't to say it's a bad song in any way. In fact it's one of the more enjoyable despite the leap the band takes from the edge of the verses to the hooks of the chorus, but it ends up just being a simpler song that's catchy and will have your head banging along due to it and the strong vocal performance that perfectly the melodic material incorporated. The same can just about be said for "Inner Monster Out," a track that also features some strong male vocals more as support then anything else, and musically the song just has a good deal of aggression rooted in Power Metal while still having a stronger acccessable feeling to much of the performance. However, the thoughts of this heavier, faster paced track being more mainstream oriented does end up going out the window during the male vocals only passage about two thirds of the way through that brings in some gutturals prior to a brief solo, which are done well and complimented by a rhaspier background screaming style. This song also seems to include some keyboards in the background to give it a bitch of a background Sythy white noise kind of sound to it. "My Disrupted Beauty" also features a little more distortion to the vocals again, cutting in and out and pushed a bit in the distance in the audio, but the catchier material with a good deal of edge to the song to keep it more in the Power Metal realm really works out and makes for a great song that can even feel a bit moving emotionally with it's more uplifting sound and content.

In the end, Inner Monster Out is not the most intense of albums, and the audio quality is a bit too clean and light for an album like this, but the band has a good grasp on maintaining an accessable sound while still maintaining that Metal attitude. A majority of the songs here are just catchy as all hell, while the rest are definitely a little heavier and geared more towards the dedicated Heavy Metal more then those who enjoy the melodic aspects of Power Metal. While many of these songs may not be the most exciting, it has a rather unqiue sound, and pretty much each track here will have your head banging along. If you haven't heard Shadowside yet, then Inner Monster Out is well worth checking out for more then just a casual spin. While the music may not be intense or really have a lot of depth, there really isn't a bad song or even a filler track to be found here, making it just an all around good album you can sit back and relax to, or throw in and just go crazy with it. Your jaw may not hit the floor in amazement, but you'll end up feeling just about as satisfied with it in the end.

Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Chavis Records
via Fresno Media.

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