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Reflection - When Shadows Fall review



Reviewer:
5.8

2 users:
7.5
Band: Reflection
Album: When Shadows Fall
Style: Doom metal, Heavy metal
Release date: 2008


01. Entering The Sea
02. Misteress Of Sea
03. Ghost Ship
04. When Shadows Fall
05. Whispers Of The Lost...
06. Lost
07. Desert Land
08. Soul Salvation
09. Eyes Of The Night
10. Serpent's Eye
11. Kingdom Of Fire
12. Mistess Of Sea [orchestral version]

It's been sixteen years now that the guys of Reflection play their Epic Metal but "When Shadows Fall" is only the third studio album in their discography. The fact that a band is not really productive can be a good thing sometime because in general the compositors are not in a hurry and they can come with good innovative ideas? Here unfortunately you'll not be able to find anything new and sadly it will not pay for Reflection, damn?

The music of Relfection is soooo cooommonnn... Damn I have the feeling that I've heard those riffs every days of my whole life. The Epic Heavy Metal of this Greek band is really disturbing, I cannot say that it's the worst thing that I've heard lately but the compositions are extremely simple and repetitive, this is slow and a bit Doom in the spirit but totally cliché and redundant. When you'll listen to the album you'll have the feeling that the songs are all the same (and I don't think that you'll be wrong actually) and this is not the guitar soli which will save them. I like the little "Oriental-Greek" influences that we can find in the melodies but this is probably the only positive point of the album. "When Shadows Fall" is too classic, repetitive and unoriginal to convince me and as the songs are all a bit similar it's really boring in the end?

The problem with "When Shadows Fall" not only comes from the average songs, the performance of the musicians is also a bit so-so. The voice of the singer Leo Stivala, who is really good with Forsaken is not so good here. Sure he is good to give some Epic direction to the music but he is not really convincing here and that's really weird. For the other instruments it can be ok but don't expect anything really wonderful too, they just do their job and that's all.

What can I add? "When Shadows Fall" just gives anything new to the listeners and the fact that the songs are average won't help anybody here. Too bad that Reflection cannot develop some musical parts of its music (one more time the "oriental" sonorities are not so bad) it could pay really. For now, if you really want to listen to Epic Heavy and Epic Doom, you should listen to a band like Forsaken (the other band of the singer).


Rating breakdown
Performance: 6
Songwriting: 5
Originality: 5
Production: 8

Written by Jeff | 20.08.2008




Comments

Comments: 2   Visited by: 19 users
01.09.2008 - 03:27
M??aLWaRrIöR?

mmmmmmm i have to check this album anyway
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10.09.2008 - 17:55
sevendeadlysins
Account deleted
I just got the album and I have to say that unfortunately I disagree with this review.The album has a very dark atmosphere and is a must have for fans of Solitude Aeturnus,Candlemass and Memento Mori as myself.
The thing that impressed me the most is that this album gained excellent reviews from the press worldwide.
In my opinion, 8/10
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