Tears of Anger
In the Shadows

August 2006
Released: 2006, Lion Music
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: MetalChick

It's a wonderful thing to discover great bands for the first time. I had never heard of Tears of Anger before this, but I'm so glad I have now. A nice combination of melodic metal and progressive tendencies, IN THE SHADOWS brings forth not something new, but something quite admirable as they join the ranks of others in this style.



There are a lot of similarities with the music of Jorn Lande/Masterplan, especially in the vocals when he hits the lower notes. The title track contains a stellar guitar solo; in fact, he doesn't disappoint at all in any song. There is a lot of skill in this band, including recruits Daniel Flores of Mind’s Eye on drums, and Johan Niemann of Therion on bass. "Live These Dreams" is one of the proggy tunes, the rhythm crunching with an off time twist. Then they really heavy it up in "Full of Lies," where it leans toward a fast, shredding, power metal feel, but without the cheese.



Only one song keeps this album from being really great. "I Hate You" is a seriously lame, basic, painfully catchy song with pathetic, thoughtless lyrics; it does not belong here! Just skip that one and enjoy the real goodness they provide otherwise. Nevertheless, IN THE SHADOWS is now on my list of great albums of 2006, and Tears of Anger becomes a band not to forget in the future.