Style: Progressive metal, alternative metal (Mixed vocals)
Recommended for fans of: late Mastodon, early Karnivool, The Mars Volta, Rush, Moon Tooth, Rishloo
Country: Canada
Release date: 21st June 2024 (remaster); 21st June 2019 (original release)
Reissues. Remasters. Remixes. How do you categorise them? If a band tweak their album, when did it release? Back when the original, flawed version dropped, or now when the updated and improved version was reborn? There’s a pretty definite answer to this question—it’s hardly a chicken-egg problem, after all—but, nevertheless, I’m going to review a reissue today. It’s five years since Canadian progressive metal quartet Chasing Shadows released their debut album Reflections, and in honour of the anniversary they’ve released a reissued, remastered and partially rerecorded version of the album, a completion of the band’s initial vision. Was it worth the effort?
The high-toned vocals of Kenny Parry are reminiscent of Geddy Lee and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and he can belt it out as strong as those greats although he occasionally veers into harsh vocals which aren’t always as successful. His vocal lines are creative and go to some intense places—the high scream on “Existence” is unhinged—and his performance may well be what elevates Chasing Shadows to a higher echelon. That’s not to give the rest of the band, short shrift; weaving together elements of Mastodon, Dream Theater and alt-prog like Rishloo and early Karnivool, Reflections is replete with hard rocking riffs, some excellent bass work, and stalwart drumming. Their style consistently reminds me of a bunch of bands but never feels derivative.
Much of the early album is all that hard rocking sound, but the latter stretches inject some variation. “Existence” features a lovely acoustic-led section where Parry delivers one of his best performances, and the song builds to a climactic solo section with a cool call-and-response between lead lines. “Lunar Transient” also emphasises the band’s softer side, a yearning Dream Theater-like ballad with acoustic guitar and piano. Chasing Shadows are judicious with their guitar solos, infrequent but lengthy and very melodic, and they stand out the better for their relative rarity. “Perception” fades out after about six minutes and delivers some rather eerie ambient noisescapes which ultimately resolves itself into a solo piano outro. It’s an unexpected choice to say the least, but one I found myself quite liking; there’s an artistry to these building layers of synths and it doesn’t feel as tacked on as it could but like a strange descent into something new. Such ideas could be better integrated into the body of tracks, but it shows that Chasing Shadows have ambitions beyond driving prog metal.
The title track closes out Reflections in the proggiest style possible: a three-part, twenty-one minute closing epic. While Part I of this feels like a pretty standard Chasing Shadows track, a gorgeous melodic solo is Part II’s showstopper, accompanied by a neat little bass riff that cycles steadfastly underneath. Part III opens with a thick guitar tone and builds in a portentous post-metal vein creating a real sense of grandeur that ultimately pays off with a powerful release in that final climax. The epic’s contemplative outro section is a touch disjointed, consisting of a solo piano piece followed by a wholly separate acoustic guitar piece, as if the band couldn’t decide which they liked best so just included both. I’m not sure “Reflections” fully earns its prodigious runtime but it showcases some great songwriting and performances, particularly in the second and third parts—indeed, the same could be said of the album as a whole.
I listened to some of the original 2019 release and while it doesn’t sound at all bad for a debut album, the remaster does give the record a nice lustre. The bass in particular, pops beautifully on this recording and I really love the riffs Josh Aguas lays down throughout the album. The snare is, unfortunately, rather loud in the mix and while it’s not quite Lars Ulrich bashing away with a tin baseball bat, I nevertheless thought we’d learned lessons about ‘St Angering,’ but it proves a rare blip in an otherwise well-treated remastering.
Chasing Shadows have moxie. Or they had it five years ago, at least. I’m excited to see what they can do with evolution and improvement, because Reflections showcases sincerity and talent in spades, and while there are still some flaws to iron out, there’s a hell of a lot to admire here. Sure, we’re talking about a reissue of a five year old album here, but It’s worth supporting young bands like this when they take the time and care to fully realise their original vision—especially as, based on their band photos, I don’t think Kenny can afford a shirt.
Recommended tracks: Peacelord, Existence, Perception
You may also like: Jupiter Hollow, Our Oceans, Konom
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent
Chasing Shadows is:
– Zane Hawley (guitars, keys)
– Josh Aguas (bass)
– Tyler Chambers (drums)
– Kenny Parry (vocals, keys)
0 Comments