UMUR
"Shades of Black" is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian thrash metal act Malicious Intent. The album was released through Resistance Recordz in 1989. Malicious Intent formed in 1986 and released two demos before forming their own label (Resistance Recordz) to release "Shades of Black".
"Shades of Black" features 13 tracks and a total playing time of 36:25 minutes. Stylistically the material is in a raw, primitive, and simple thrash metal style. The album features a lo-fi garage type production, which lacks power and bite. The band sound inexperienced and badly rehearsed, and "Shades of Black" sounds like it was more or less recorded live in someone´s garage. It could have been a charming old school thrash metal release in the most raw and savage end of the scale, but instead the album ends up being a powerless and tedious affair. The whole thing sounds like it was recorded through wool and there´s a lack of aggression and attitude as a result of it.
It´s not an album featuring any noteworthy tracks or anything in particular worth mentioning, because all elements of the album are either mediocre or below standard for the genre. Therefore a 2.5 star (50%) rating isn´t all wrong.