Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: ShadowIcon
Label: Self-released
Released: 2015
Runtime: 27:55
Rating: 4/5
It’s only right that we stop for a moment on this one too, even though more than a year has passed since its official release. After all, it comes from a Slovenian band. »Smoke & Mirrors« is the EP ShadowIcon use to bridge the gap between two full-length studio releases. And the general verdict is that they nailed it.
Their 2011 debut »Empire in Ruins« already showed huge ambition and a grand sweep in the band’s plans, along with a filigree-fine approach to polishing every last detail of the songs and the debut album as a whole. Even that excellent first record boasted a band with a well-honed sense of high musicality, where the catchiness of bombastic choruses grabs you on the very first listen. The members are seasoned, technically superbly equipped musicians, but also intuitive enough to communicate brilliantly when composing and to breathe as one in following a musical vision. And the EP »Smoke & Mirrors« is no exception.
Almost 27 minutes of new original music is backed by an excellent sound engineering team in the studio, as well as by guest and contributing musicians. Two are absolutely worth singling out: Sascha Gerrstner, guitarist of Hamburg power metal legends Helolween, who joins singer Ana in a vocal duet on the opener Through a Mirror Darkly, and sound wizard Charlie Bauerfiend, who counts as something of a guru when it comes to sound engineering and production of heavy metal albums on the old continent of Europe.
The songs are tied together by a tight, unified compositional focus, and in places the arrangements are lavishly enriched with orchestrations, which effectively amps up the theatricality and mystical atmosphere of the record. Ana’s vocal performance works great when woven into the arrangements themselves, and in her central role, which convincingly grabs most of the attention, the singer deftly tackles the challenges of meter and of using English in the verses, adding sensuality that boosts the pomp and musicality of the song format itself. The band also added backing choir harmonies to the arrangements, one more important building block in creating that fiercely predatory vibe, driven of course by darkness and mysticism.
Let’s hope the band manages to carve out a more visible spot on the international scene. Right now ShadowIcon need a support slot on a tour by one of the bigger, established female-fronted symphonic power metal bands, like Within Temptation, Nightwish or Epica. Given that the songs were recorded very soon after the studio debut came out, in October 2012, it’s safe to assume they represent material written while the debut was still taking shape, but which the band couldn’t fit on it because of time constraints. In short, if you own the debut »Empire in Ruins«, you need »Smoke & Mirrors« too. A seriously lovely release, then. From head to toe. The band can proudly present itself with it on stages across Europe and, hopefully, someday on another continent too. ShadowIcon are a band that very quickly outgrew the borders of Slovenia, and with the quality they’ve shown they reach the level of competitiveness needed to leave a bigger mark on the international metal scene.
ShadowIcon – If I Was the One (official video):
Lineup
Ana Prijatelj Pelhan – vocals
Tomaž Lovšin – guitar
Bojan Kostanjšek – guitar
Peter Smrdel – keyboards
Matej Ravšelj – bass guitar
Vid Zgonc – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Sascha Gerstner – vocals on track 1
Stefan Schmidt – choir vocals
Olaf Senkbeil – backing vocals
Betty Lenard – backing vocals
Jeffery Hayat – additional orchestration and programming
Matthias Ulmer – additional orchestration and programming
Production
Tomaž Lovšin, Thomas Geiger & Charlie Bauerfiend
Track list
1. (Now I See) Through a Mirror Darkly (5:35)
2. If I Was the One (3:42)
3. The Edge (3:42)
4. The Beauty of a Rose (4:54)
5. My Plea (3:26)
6. (Now I See) Through a Mirror Darkly (reprise) (5:35)
