Released By : Aural Music
Genre : Gothic Metal, Modern Alt. Rock
Links : http://www.myspace.com/theshiverband
Tracklist:
01. In Obscurity
02. Crushing Down
03. Empty People Empty Words
04. The Fragile Sound
05. Nothing Left To Waste
06. Through This Cold Winter
07. Leech And Flower
08. Answers
09. Feel Tomorrow’s Light
10. Desire
11. No Longer Here
12. Bring Me To The Horizon
Ever since the introduction of EVANESCENCE to modern music there has been countless bands from all corners of the globe attempting to succeed with a similar style and approach. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that most of these types of bands have been pretty sub-par and it’s only the rare few that are really worth bothering with. Italy’s THE SHIVER may not have much to offer in the originality department but they certainly know their subject matter well and are easily one of the better female fronted gothic metal bands to come out in the last few years.
One major advantage they have, and the big reason why this album is a winner is their vocalist Federica Faith Sciamanna. Sure the rest of the band are obviously good, and the fact that they are good songwriters certainly helps, but this style of music is absolutely all about the vocals so the fact that they got that element right means that they automatically trump most bands trying to do a similar thing. Federica sings in a similar style to the queen of the genre Amy Lee and will definitely please fans of hers. She’s not quite as versatile and technically skilled, but she is still an excellent vocalist, and the fact that she sings without the strong Italian accent that can usually be a bit too much in bands from Italy shows her worth on the world stage.
While it’s easy to consider the band gothic rock/metal group, the album A NEW HORIZON also shows other influences and can draw comparisons to groups like BREAKING BENJAMIN, TRAPT and HINDER giving them a real radio-friendly modern rock sound layered throughout the band’s sound. The occasional death metal growl also puts a bit of a spin on formula and helps to keep the band from falling too far into the safe world of catchy pop metal.
THE SHIVER have unearthed a very exciting vocalist in Ms. Sciamanna and have just enough of a unique sound to be able to stand on their own merit, while still sounding familiar enough to instantly draw in fans of the female fronted gothic metal genre and modern alternative metal genre. A NEW HORIZON is a great debut and one that certainly has me intrigued as to what they can come up with next.
Written By ZeeZee
Rating : 8/10
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