Metal Underground.com

It seems like Japan is the center of a lot of talent, whether musical or otherwise. This is definitely exemplified in Shadow’s second full length album, “Forever Chaos.” From start to finish, this album is full of musical talent and masterful songwriting. Ranging from technical to thrashing to frantic, Shadow works their way up and down the fret boards while packing in more and more melody in every song. While it may not be the most memorable or heaviest album around, it is definitely an entertaining listen.

From start to finish, Shadow demonstrates their musical ability aptly, as this album seriously shreds. From the kick-in-the-face arpeggio blast on the opening title track to the blazing solos contained throughout the entire album, this album is extremely technical without straying too far into being overblown. The majority of the riffs on this album are very well written and, as I said before, may not be too memorable, but are catchy and fun to listen to. While Shadow isn’t wailing away at sweep picking and blistering solos, they are playing thrashing riffs that are fitting to the music and add more than your typical over-the-top-Dragonforce-ADHD-metal. Shadow even includes a pretty well-done Slayer cover at the end.

My only real complaint about “Forever Chaos” is the fact that some of the song structures tend to get a little repetitive and some of Shadow’s signature shredding is few and far between on a few songs. For the most part, though, Shadow has written an album that seriously showcases their ability to play technical, melodic metal and keep it interesting. It’s just as heavy as it needs to be, no more and no less. A lot of different influences are to be heard here, from a touch of Swedish flavor to power metal.

Despite its flaws, “Forever Chaos” is a fun listen. It’s catchy, thrashy at times, and while some people may pass it by as technical wankery, this album is, at its base, entertaining. Don’t expect it to be anything groundbreaking, but fans of melodic death metal and shredding licks will appreciate this one.