ALBUM REVIEW: We All Are Shadows – Sleeping Romance
Italian progressive metal collective SLEEPING ROMANCE have had quite the nine years since their formation back in 2013. Following the release of their debut full-length album Enlighten in the same year, they attracted the attention of Swedish record label Ulterium Records to support them on their ongoing musical journey. Shortly after, they successfully toured with bands such as American melodic metal group THEOCRACY. They gained further traction with appearances at notable festival events including the likes of FemMe and Brainstorm Festival, and undoubtedly got their big break after signing with the almighty Napalm Records in 2015. As a result, they revealed their second LP Alba two years later, but unexpectedly they cut ties with Napalm in recent years and are now working with NoCut Entertainment.
To celebrate their nine-year anniversary as a band, SLEEPING ROMANCE are set to release their upcoming third studio album We Are All The Shadows. The band are about to embark on a real turning point in their musical career, with their new work set to embody more of a heavier, industrial sound than heard previously – how exciting. The first track is Of Shadows And Men, which is an unexpected but brilliant opener. The spoken word throughout is quite compelling and delivered with conviction, which instantly draws us in.
Smoke And Mirrors keeps us interested from the get-go, with a pounding guitar riff starting this song off on the right foot. By the time we are introduced to Lina Victoria‘s beautiful vocals, we are truly invested. What a fantastic way to start off the album. Call My Name begins on a much slower note, before keeping us engaged again with an impactful riff. This song has a real EVANESCENCE feel about it, whilst still adopting a relatively unique feel throughout.
Ghost Shadows is up next, which is most certainly another song influenced by EVANESCENCE. Whilst it is evidently clear at this stage that this is a genre that suits the band down to the ground, it has to be said that this song could do with being a touch more memorable. The raw emotion is there; the lyrical content just lets this track down sadly. Stuck In Your Head contains some distorted vocals from Victoria, which add a sprinkle of uniqueness to proceedings. However, there is not much else to say about this song another than that. My Own Foe is the complete opposite, incorporating some real angst into the mix with some RAMMSTEIN-infused industrial instrumentals. They successfully keep things fresh with some symphonic metal leads, similar to that of APOCALPYTICA. This is what we were expecting from this release; hopefully we hear more influences like this further down the line. Resemblance Of Light carries on with the heavier theme, which is more than welcome at this point. The song progresses well, with even more symphonic influences to keep us interested.
Haven is a little mediocre in comparison, with similar instrumentals heard throughout the entire track. It would be a little more enticing if they incorporated even heavier sounds into the mix here. We All Are Shadows uses the symphonic APOCALPYTICA-style introduction to their advantage, before we are treated to Victoria‘s remarkable vocals. We feel like this song would be even more impactful with further instrumentals like this used throughout the track, instead of just the beginning. The closer is Bridge Of Minds, which is a little bit dull to be completely honest. It is probably one of the most forgettable songs on the album; definitely not worthy of closing this release, which is a shame.
It is clear that SLEEPING ROMANCE have quite a long way to go with evolving their sound, but they are definitely getting there. We feel like they could have elevated their new industrial sound even further in this release, using more RAMMSTEIN-style instrumentals to their advantage; a little bit of a lost opportunity in our eyes. In the next body of work, it would be amazing for them to sprinkle some unclean vocals into the mix to gain more of the SPIRITBOX-type appeal they seem to be seeking.
Rating: 5/10
We All Are Shadows is set for release on October 7th via NoCut Entertainment.
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