To sci-fi fans, the title of the second album from the American power-metal band Burning Shadows means that this quartet borrowed from the Fritz Leiber novel of the same name. That book is set 360 years after a nuclear holocaust ravaged the earth, throwing society back into the dark ages in a world fraught with chaos and superstition, and it inspired these 11 songs written by guitarist Greg Jones. With music that best suits a story like Gather, Darkness!, Burning Shadows plays a rousing blend of traditional and European metal.
The album opens with the orchestral overture "Hymn to Sathanas," and from there, Burning Shadows does its best to emulate Judas Priest. Blind Guardian and even Manowar – although vocalist Tom Davy possesses a cleaner delivery style. Elements of Savatage and Iced Earth creep in, too.
There's not a whole lot of originality happening here. Yet the band sounds muscular and seasoned, and Burning Shadows varies the album's pace enough to ensure that listeners won't get bored during the course of 45 minutes. In fact, one of the best songs is the acoustic-based "Abandonment."
Track Listing:
Overture
1) Hymn to Sathanas
A Thousand Lies
2) A New Dark Age
3) Intra Vires
4) Onward
To Ruin & Divide
5) The Witchmark
6) Man From Myth
7) Cast Them Down
8) Kingdoms Fall
Breaking the Sanctuary
9) Abandonment
10) To Assent the Fall
11) The Infamous Dawn
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