Band:	Shores Of Sheol
Album:	Forlorn Realms
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	October 2007

01. The Return To Gaia
02. Dreams Of Eternal Torment
03. A Collection Of Guilt
04. Acheron

Hailing from the lonely and desolate mountain peaks of Lienz, Austria, one might expect this one-man Black Metal band to deliver some nipple-freezing frostbitten Black Metal. Nothing could be more wrong, since sole member Marko has drawn his influence from the Hellenic Black Metal since the beginning. From the moment that this beast awoke from his slumber in two-thousand-and-five anno domini, Shores Of Sheol has recorded multiple good demo's and a split release. Shamefully, none of those saw the light of day and are still residing in the unholy form of computerfile to this very day.

Containing four awesome tracks "Forlorn Realms", almost clocking in at twenty minutes, is by far his best effort up to date. Marko's vocal skills have greatly increased, not only using the venomous snake bite from 'the early days', but also a lower death growl. Catchy and burning riffs are everpresent, together with the excessive use of hi-hats, enriching and thickening the intense atmosphere of blazing heat and sulphur.

From the very start, it is obvious that this is going to be one hellish ride. "The Return To Gaia" gives us no less than catchy riffs, overwhelming vocals and even a solo. All of this is then easily topped by his best song to date: "A Collection Of Guilt". It's fierce riffs and the slow, dark interlude show the immense growth of this musician.

With this release being a demo, one might expect the sound quality causing your ears to bleed. On this release however, it works in an excellent way. The rough edge to it, the way the vocals are literally all over the place, the continous profanity from the drumset, it all adds to the feeling of being set to flames in the darkest and deepest pit of hell.

Schorching our soles and putting fire to our feet, "Forlorn Realms" is an great promise for what is yet to come from the young Shores Of Sheol. Already my ears are longing for the next release, which will hopefully be a full-length of the same strength. We are dealing with someone with potential here.