01. A Morbid Realm
02. Walk The Shadows
03. Through A Glass Darkly
04. We Shall Not
05. Killing Hearts And Endless Nights
06. Servant Of The Dark
07. The Triumph Of The Killing Heart
08. El Hakim

Walk The Shadows has a lot going on: 80s new wave vibes, gothic elements, classic rock, a bit of prog, and unfortunately a lot of untapped potential.

I went into this record with certain expectations; after listening in the past to albums like Six Must Die and Danse De Noir, I expected a blend of epic doom metal and some heavy metal. That’s not what we got; Walk The Shadows is very much a continuation of the style the band went for with We Shall Overcome (which I had missed out on at the time of its release, and only caught up on recently). This is mostly a gothic rock album mixed with some new wave.

Now, in theory that should be a pleasant surprise for someone like me, because even though I like doom metal/rock a lot, I tend to like gothic metal/rock even more. Add to that the fact that I have a soft spot for new wave as well; to give you an idea, I was literally that weirdo who did a presentation on new wave as an 11-year-old, roughly 25 years after the genre peaked... So, Walk The Shadows should be a match made in heaven then, right?

Not quite: I have quite a few issues with this album, and the production is one of them. The drums lack punch and sound extremely muddled; the main tom on the drum kit sounds like someone is hitting the rubber soles of a pair of shoes together in the storage closet next to the recording studio. The vocals also sound like they are recorded from that same closet, while the microphone is still in the actual recording studio. As a result, the vocals are pushed too far into the background. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Vinz Clortho does both the vocals and the drums for Lord Vigo; my theory is that the other band members pushed him into that storage closet and forced him to record his parts in there. At least give the man his microphone, guys!

Frankly, it’s kind of a shame that the vocals aren’t as prominent in the mix, because Vinz has a lovely voice, and does a brilliant job at evoking that 80s new wave style, which complements the gothic elements beautifully. If Gabriel Franco from Unto Others reminds me of Rober Smith from The Cure, then the style of Vinz reminds me a lot of Midge Ure from Ultravox.

I have rambled enough about the production, but it was important to mention, because it sucks some of the energy out of this album, an album that in general also suffers from sounding a bit uninspired. That’s kind of a strange thing to say, because I think there’s definitely potential here. The overall atmosphere of gothic rock with new wave touches is there, but the songs themselves feel quite generic. The band has the concrete foundation to build a gorgeous villa, but decided to build a modest house on it. The final track is the perfect example here; it has a nice atmosphere to it, but suffers from a bit too much repetition, and lacks those memorable moments you would want in a closing epic. If you ask me about this song in a couple of weeks, I will have a hard time remembering anything about it.

That’s the overall feeling I have with this album. It’s serviceable, and like I mentioned, the potential is there in terms of overall sound. That said, the songwriting and song structures could use some extra spice, and the production needs to better complement the sound they are going for. Unto Others nailed this concept with Mana, and I really want another album that reaches that type of quality in this kind of style. Even Unto Others themselves haven’t reached the same heights with their later albums. Maybe someday we’ll get that album; as it stands, though, I can only repeat what I have said at the beginning of this review: Walk The Shadows is full of untapped potential.

Performance:	7
Songwriting:	5
Originality:	6
Production:	5