SHADOWSIDE — Inner Monster Out (review)

SHADOWSIDE — Inner Monster Out album cover Album · 2011 · Power Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
Phonebook Eater
5/10

"Inner Monster Out" sounds like the music that would come out the stereo of the average wannabe metalhead teenager.

Shadowside is a Heavy/Power Metal band from Brazil, and the've been a pretty big hit in their country, thanks mostly to their 2007 debut "Theatre Of Shadows", and the follow up "Dare To Dream". "Inner Monster Out" is the most mature release so far, that has an overall better sound and good musicianship, but I expected so much more from Shadowside.

While in their earlier days the band had a pretty stereotyped Power Metal sound and attitude, in "Inner Monster Out" all that is gone, and replacing them there's a much more straight-forward, focused style, that could remind (and is part of) the newest Heavy Metal wave that is composed almost always of Nu Metal or Alternative Metal bands. Strong, heavy riffs, powerful female vocals, sung by Dani Nolden,and good, expensive sounding production. There are some moments where the musicians show their talent in playing their instruments, but, like I said, this album is not at all adventurous thus these moments are very rare. Plus, many moments,unfortunately, I found annoying and very cheesy, which was a disappointment for me. Shadowside's influences are pretty noticeable, we got some post- Brave New World Iron Maiden here and there, some Nightwish, or bands like Bullet For My Valentine, Killswitch Engage, or Soilwork, and generally a lot of Nu Metal bands that have that same kind of feel. Nothing I hear from Shadowside is new, for the exception of singer, who is truly talented and beautiful too, if I may.

The album is pretty consistent, maybe a little too much; as a matter of fact, some songs sound not really the same, but very similar to each other, and as a consequence you tend to remember only a few moments, while others just seem to be easily forgotten. The best song here is "Angel With Horns", nice hook and good performance by the musicians. "In The Name Of Love" is another track I don't mind, and the title track, which features some death growls as well as a few guest spots, is pretty decent as well. But most of these tracks I tend to forget, because of their strong similarities to each other.

Overall it was an OK listen, an album I certainly would not recommend to metal purists. It sounds like the music that would come out from a stereo of the average wannabe metalhead teenager. However if you're into Nu Metal, straight-forward Power Metal, or that Melodic Metalcore sound, you might enjoy it more than I did.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Antibeauty Hardcore Punk
SNOWING IN PERU
Buy this album from MMA partners
Mana Earth Hardcore Punk
SNOWING IN PERU
Buy this album from MMA partners
Intimate Isolation Hardcore Punk
GOOD FALL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Dark Future Sludge Metal
PAIN CHEMISTRY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Violent Delights Hardcore Punk
GALLEONS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Galleons - Electric Emotions
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 19 hours ago
Galleons - Elsewhere (Official Lyric Video)
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 19 hours ago
Galleons - Neon Dreams (Official Lyric Video)
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 19 hours ago
Galleons - I Travel East As Fievel Goes West Pt. 1 - Official Lyric Video
GALLEONS
Bosh66· 19 hours ago
FREEHOWLING - SCARS FT. AARON MATTS (TEN56.) [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]
FREEHOWLING
Bosh66· 19 hours ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed