SECOND SHADOW was formed back in 2003, since then they’ve been working hard to build a name in both the Norwegian and global metal scene. They’ve had several concerts, many of them with very important/famous metal acts and all this already started giving them some recognition.
This band defines itself as “extreme”, but being objective and honest, I just couldn’t find much brutality or extreme musical displays in this 6 song EP. The “extreme” or “brutal” title can be subjective of course, it may refer to other aspects of this band’s work, like the lyrics, the image, the song titles, and you name it. The basic idea and conceptualization of brutality may vary; it depends on the individuals that create the music and depends on the people and how they perceive it. But this “brutal” element is only valid if the band fulfills brutality in music first than any other thing.
In Line Up [Execution Style], the band shows average Death Metal with some Thrash riffs and changes and I also perceived certain heavy metal influence in some other tunes.
The vocals here are not extreme or unusual; the work is normal for Death Metal with alternate highs and lows depending on the moment.
On the sound engineering side, Line Up [Execution Style] is normal, kind of clean, and good enough to perceive and appreciate all the elements, every note and every instrument. Practically nothing is left out; all the instruments collide and stick together all the way.
Now, I really like when a band is honest and true about the things they are doing. In this case I believe SECOND SHADOW could have embraced the path they are already walking, and please don’t get me wrong, this EP is not bad at all, but it’s certainly far from being brutal or extreme musically speaking.
Still, they make decent and powerful music, achieving brilliant moments in songs like Torture, Murder V2.0 and Line Up [Execution Style] that gives title to this EP. This songs have good DM, some thrash riffs, quick changes and still they keep style!
Line Up [Execution Style] is highly recommendable for people that loves Death and Thrash it just has everything it should, but if you are a fan of brutal music, crude sound and extreme musical styles don’t be so carried out by the labels.