Graveshadow – Ambition’s Price
Review by Rainer Kerber
The home of Graveshadow is Sacramento, the capital of California. Since their founding in 2013, the band has kept the banner of Symphonic Metal mixed with Doom, Thrash and Epic Power Metal. As influences the five mentioned, among others Nightwish, Kamelot, Moonspell or Iced Earth. After under its own auspices produced self-titled EP (2014), the band signed a record deal with Belgian label Mausoleum Records. One year later, the album debut “Nocturnal Resurrection” Published. In the meantime, with M-Theory Audio under contract the successor “Ambition’s Price” was published in April.
Graveshadow does not spend much time with the preface. After a short introduction, the guitars bang on “Doorway To Heaven”. Singer Heather Michele has a comfortable rock voice, but she can also growl very angry, as she provides time and again. Musical they remind me of Nightwish (to Anette Olzon times), Beyond the Black or Delain. Also “Widow And The Raven” is a pleasant rock pop song, but is pimped up above all by the growls. This continues with the next titles, sometimes with anthemic bombshells (“Ambition’s Price”) then straight forward rocking. One of the best songs of the album is the partly ballad-like “The Gates”, with lots of bombast, unrestrained riffs and above all an excellent guitar solo. But the highlight is the three-movement mini-epic “Call Of The Frostwolves”. Here, the musicians can prove their compositional talent and their musical skills. These are three very varied songs. The quieter and much symphonic enriched “Slave”, the ass-kicking “Liberator” or the classic rock song “Warchief”, to which the band has also produced a video. The album ends with the anthem “Eden Ablaze”.
With “Ambition’s Price” the Californians have achieved a good second album. The mentioned role models can be heard from the individual songs, but without reaching their genius. While the first half of the album ripples away, in the second part a clear step-up can be heard. Especially the epic “Call of the Frostwolves” can convince here. A live performance by Graveshadow is certainly a lot of fun. For the next album I would like to have a bit more variety in the songwriting.
GRAVESHADOW – Warchief (Official Promo Video): https://youtu.be/EncKRuqKAuY
Lineup:
Heather Michele – Vocals
Will Walker – Rhythm Guitars
Aaron Robitsch-Lead Guitars
Roman Anderson – Drums
Ben Armstrong – Bass
Label: M-Theory Audio
Out: April 13th, 2018
Duration: 54:36
Track list:
- Doorway To Heaven
- Widow and The Raven
- Ambition’s Price
- Hero Of Time
- The Gates
- The Unspoken
- Return To Me
- Call Of The Frostwolves – I. Slave
- Call Of The Frostwolves – II. Liberator
- Call Of The Frostwolves – III. Warchief
- Eden Ablaze
Rating : 7.5/10
MHF Magazine/Rainer Kerber
