Shadows & Dust (Nuclear Blast~2002)
I had heard good things about this album, but I was in no way prepared for the death metal excellence awaiting my ears. From the crushing opener, "In Shadows & Dust" to the awesome closing track, "Years Of Enlightment/Decades In Darkness", this veteran Canadian band hammers away relentlessly with one killer song after another. For the most part, this is fast, intense death metal complete with blast beats and traditional death growls, but black metal screams spice up the sound a bit. At times, you may even catch a small hint of nu metal rhythms and a glimpse of Swedish-flavored riffing. The true brilliance of this nine-song album is its ability to be melodic yet brutal, memorable yet devastatingly heavy. Itīs hard to complain even the slightest about any album that is so consistent that itīs nearly impossible to identify only one standout track or one thatīs clearly sub par. The only complaint I have is that "Shadows & Dust" just made my choice for album of the year that much harder. This should be a part of any good death metal collection.