Band:	Wuthering Heights
Album:	The Shadow Cabinet
Style:	Folk metal, Progressive power metal
Release date:	October 25, 2006
A review by:	Jeff

Disc I
01. Demon Desire
02. Beautifool
03. The Raven
04. Faith - Apathy Divine Part 1
05. Envy
06. Snow - Apathy Divine Part 2
07. Sleep
08. I Shall Not Yield
09. Reason ... ?
10. Carpe Noctem - Seize The Night
11. Midnight Song [European bonus]
12. Shadow Of A Gipsy [Japanese bonus]

Disc II [Roaming Far From Home - Live at ProgPower USA 2004] [USA bonus]
01. Tree
02. Longing For The Woods, Pt. 1
03. Longing For The Woods, Pt. 2
04. Lost Realms
05. Bad Hobbits Die Hard
06. Hunter In The Dark
07. Highland Winds

Wuthering Heights is a special band unfortunately not so famous. But I think that the new release of these Danish guys, "The Shadow Cabinet", will probably help them to get all the recognition that they deserve (and believe me, they deserve it!). With an amazing and unconventional Metal, the Danish combo is one of the few bands of the Metal scene which is still able to give a music that you'll never be able to listen to except? on their own CDs. When I have to add too, that "The Shadow Cabinet" is without any doubt the best release of the band, I just think that you'll not have the right to miss this album?

If you don't know the music of Wuthering Heights, you must know that the band plays Power Metal with Progressive music and even folk orientations. As an example, "Demon Desire" is a real blasting Power Metal song with fast rhythm and epic symphonies. On the other hand, "Faith - Apathy Divine Part 1", with its nice melody produced by violin is clearly oriented toward Folk Metal music. "The Shadow Cabinet" is full of surprises anyway, all the songs are long in general with a lot of break and variations, it's complex but varied and the progressive side of the music always gives something more to the tracks of "The Shadow Cabinet". It's maybe not so easy of access on a side but it's never linear and the music of Wuthering Heights is really intelligent.

"The Shadow Cabinet" is the best release of the band out to date. The performance of Patrik Johansson (I say it again but this guy is one of the best singer of the Heavy Metal scene) is amazing. The performance of Martin Arendal (Manticora's guitarist and new "member" of Wuthering Heights) gives power to the music of the band and Erik Ravn (main compositor) didn't lack of inspiration to write the songs of this album. The only (little) problem maybe, comes from the fact that the music of Wuthering Heights is a bit complex and can go in a dozen of directions. It's not really problematic but sometime a bit messy and disturbing. But don't worry, you can be sure that you'll quickly understand the music of the band and after two or three listening, you'll just enjoy the music of "The Shadow Cabinet", which is by the way perfectly mixed and recorded.

Can we say that we're in front of one of the best albums of the year 2006? I think so? "The Shadow Cabinet" is something special, a real demonstration of a fantastic talent. With its "crazy" mix of Progressive Power and Folk Metal, the Danish combo proves that we can still do original album. Just amazing!