Band:	Dreadful Shadows
Album:	Homeless
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	1995
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. Homeless
02. Paradise
03. Dead Can Wait [live]
04. Dirge [live]
05. A Sea Of Tears [Piano version]
06. True Faith [New Order cover]
07. Homeless [Cyber edit version]

"Homeless EP" is the mini-cd that Dreadful Shadows released after their very promising debut, "Enstrangement". This mini-cd contains two new songs, "Homeless" and "Paradize", two songs coming from their debut album played live, "Dead can Wait" and "Dirge", a really melancholic piano version of "A sea of tears" coming also from their debut album, a successful cover song on New Order's "True Faith" and a cyber edit on "Homeless". This release refers mainly to the fans of Dreadful Shadows since the compositions it contains can be found also on other releases of the band on their album versions except for "Homeless" and "Paradize" that can only be found here. "Homeless EP" back in 1995 was a small taste of what would follow with their second official album, "Buried Again", in which they perfected their very own sound.

The album opens with "Homeless" as the keyboards evoke an ethereal but dreary atmosphere. The guitars are really sharp and the guitar riffing is great accompanying Sven's exceptional interpretation; a really wonderful composition in which all of the Shadows show their best self once more, from the guitars and the drumming to the bass guitar's pulse and the keyboards' nightmarish melodies. A monumental composition, "Paradize", follows and the heart-rending sound of the acoustic guitar chords and the melancholic keyboard melodies evoke an utterly depressive atmosphere. The song is mainly based on the acoustic guitars and the keyboard melodies harmonizing beautifully with Sven's utterly bleak interpretation welcoming you to his very own paradise, a paradise filled with pain and darkness where all hope has died and you just wander without destination.

"Dead can wait" and "Dirge", two brilliant compositions coming from their debut album but in live versions, let the album flow with the Shadows showing that they can produce on stage this unique feeling that their music evokes proving that they're not a studio band. Sven shows that his vocal abilities are real and his emotional and representative voice steals the show whilst all the instruments can be heard clearly giving us the chance to listen to two worth-checking live versions of two wonderful songs. A piano version of "A sea of Tears" follows, a composition sounding quite dreamy and melancholic with the piano's nostalgic sound harmonizing beautifully with Sven's utterly emotional bass voice taking you on a trip to painful and melancholic soundscapes drowning you slowly in "a sea of tears".

There are covers that are really good, covers that only copy the original version and covers that should have never been released.; well, "True Faith" that follows, belongs in the first category. The Shadows not only catch the feeling of the original version, but also make it somehow sound like it was one of their songs! "Homeless EP" reaches the end with a cyber edit of the first song of the album, "Homeless", a version filled with electro sounds and loops and a lot of beat accompanying the drumming; a very interesting version but I definitely prefer the original one.

"Homeless EP" is a worth-checking mini-cd and definitely a must-have for the Dreadful Shadows adorers, the choice is yours!

"But now I fall deep into the ocean, go on your way never ends.
I won't light the stars, i shroud you in my darkness, welcome to my own paradise."