Band:	Shadecrown
Album:	Solitarian
Style:	Death doom metal
Release date:	September 2021

01. The Awakening
02. Dark Heart Replica
03. Momentary Trails
04. Slivers
05. The Loss
06. Aeon's Still
07. Crestfallen
08. Solitarian

Recent ad spotted in a Finnish local newspaper: Sentenced-influenced doom metal band looking for a keyboard player who is solely into that hopeful Nightwish sound. That is Shadecrown in a nutshell. As you would expect, the end result, which materialized with Solitarian, is a chimera of epic proportions. It is like the best of Finland’s metal scene of the last ten years in one album. What’s that? I haven’t mentioned Amorphis yet? Don't worry, it is on there somewhere as well.

Overall, the massive influence is death doom metal. But be prepared for some elements to jut out of the preconceived mold. Well, mainly be prepared for the keyboards to stand out. Besides the Nightwish influences, I was pleased to hear some references to one of the greats who are Stratovarius on many a track.

Shadecrown's latest album is a multifaceted ode to what the country has had best to offer in the last few years. For that reason alone, it deserves your attention. There are shades (obviously) of many great influences yet it does not feel corny or too forced. It is more of a symbiotic embrace than a smashed-together sort of affair. Tracks such as "Slivers", "The Loss", "Aeon’s Still", and "Crestfallen" each represent an evolutionary step (namely Sentenced, Swallow The Sun, Amorphis, and Omnium Gatherum).

What does that say about the band? I would like to think that it is, and it must be, purposeful. Surely, those musicians know what they are doing and what kind of music they are emulating and recreating in spectacular fashion. I won’t spoil the spoils of the title track too much, so you can enjoy that one while figuring out which influences are more prominent.

Even though this band is clearly an amalgam of rather divergent styles, the end product is quite captivating. I could write about it ad nauseum, but in the end the only logical observation is that the experiment is working. Shadecrown have dared to combine all things Finnish from a sonic point-of-view, and Solitarian is a remarkable Reader's Digest of what the Land of the Thousand Lakes has to offer in the year 2021, from its legacy to its bright future.