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Apocalyptic Symphony (2013) is the fifth full-length album by Russian power metal act Shadow Host. Notably it is the first full-length from the group to feature new vocalist Alexey Markov (Starsoup, Distant Sun), however the group's line-up has been largely reworked since prior album Bringer of Revenge (2011) with only guitarists Alexey Arzamazov and Yuriy Naletov appearing on both releases. The former has been the only original member left well before this point though, Shadow Host is certainly one of those band's who have gone through new members like they're going out of fashion.
Although I gather from a bit of research (this being the first full album I've heard from the group) that Shadow Host started as more of a pure power metal band the music on Apocalyptic Symphony is, perhaps contrary to what the symphony in the title may suggest, power-thrash and I actually think this is one such power-thrash release that leans more towards the thrash side of things in both terms of riffs and vocals, although there are still plenty of parts that are more easily identified and associated as power metal. Alexey Markov sounds like he was chosen because of the more typical thrash metal approach he's used on Apocalyptic Symphony which I guess would be a good thing if you prefer thrash metal over power metal but given Shadow Host's power metal roots he may not go down so well with existing fans. I've only heard one earlier Shadow Host song and that was Demon Hunter from Bringer of Revenge and I can't help feeling that previous vocalist Viktor "Anger" Lysiy was a stronger and more suitable vocalist for the direction Shadow Host have taken on Apocalyptic Symphony. That's not to say that Alexey Markov does a bad job as such but he does feel like a weaker link having also heard his predecessor.
The riffs on the album though are generally very strong and keep my head nodding throughout its nine tracks. There are a few clear highlights within the songs including Lunacy Divine, Apocalypse Within and Empty Eyes, although to my ears the latter has a riff that is a bit too close to Metallica's Blackened for comfort. Blinded by Greed and Reborn in Hate are slightly weaker cuts but even so overall Apocalyptic Symphony shows itself as a powerhouse of a power-thrash release. Seeds of Sorrow calms things down a little near the end of the album with its more mid-paced feel and use of acoustics but it's still a pretty solid song.
Shadow Host made a pretty solid album in Apocalyptic Symphony, showing both power metal in a more aggressive way and thrash metal in a more melodic way, the ideal power-thrash sound in other words. It's entirely possible that the band's previous vocalist may have been able to elevate the quality of the album up a tier, but all the same Alexey Markov did grow on me with a few listens to result in a highly enjoyable affair. Something in the higher end of the 4 Stars bracket sounds fair to me.
84/100
(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/shadow-host-apocalyptic-symphony-t3388.html)