Wuthering Heights Shadow Cabinet CD

 Awesome Danish progressive metal.
‘The Shadow Cabinet’ is Wuthering Heights’ fourth release that blends a mixture of genres closely associated to power metal, technical progressive metal, an infusion of folk roots coupled by a very ominous and symphonic feel to the music. Wuthering Heights caught my attention enough to purchase this release, however without having prior knowledge as to the progression of this six piece Danish outfit over the years this was going to play to my disadvantage. With this latest release, the band incorporates power combined with youthful enthusiasm into the music that in all probability will take multiple listens before the Wuthering Heights jigsaw puzzle starts fitting in place and making sense. The music is very intense from the inception with the songs played at a fast frenetic pace, the compositions are complicated amid an epic feel to each song and there are some astounding tempo changes in addition. The integration of a mandolin and violin has been done tastefully within a few of the tracks, leaving a Celtic vibe that gives a warm blissful mood that folk music evokes. Swedish vocalist, Nils Patrik Johansson has left an enduring impression on me, having a deep, powerful voice by highlighting a greater emphasis towards the pronunciation of the words by projecting his voice during vocal passages. A number of his vocal parts have been multi-layered, accumulating a rich sound that has been reinforced by backing vocals of the chorus, encompassing a vast feel to the vocal parts. Founding member and guitarist, Eric Ravn, who is the main songwriter and lyricist, is an inspirational guitarist that injects some technical playing to the fold along with his six-string partner Martin Arendal who is also a member of Danish power metallers, Manticora. Drummer Morten Sorensen is the perfect stickman for the band, playing some rather complicated drum patterns plus bassist Teddy Muller cementing the sound together with some cool bass work. Keyboardist, Andreas Lindahl has a subtle approach to the music by blending the keyboards just where they are needed without being too overbearing. Danish producer, Tommy Hansen produced the album and his participation is nothing short of breath taking, capturing the fundamental nature of the band. I would encourage anyone to purchase the limited edition release rather than the standard release, as there is an additional disc included of the live show from ProgPower, Atlanta 2004. In my view, there are seven worthy tracks included that run just over 42 minutes…. well worth checking out! By the bands own admission, this ‘live’ recording was low budget with too many mistakes creeping in due to the nucleus of the band having only rehearsed together once prior to the ProgPower gig. However, despite the mistakes and poor sound quality, they can be pardoned as the remainder of the performance showcases how good the band are in the live arena. Incidentally, this line up still remains the same on ‘The Shadow Cabinet’. I commend the band for there honesty here as they could have produced a live album with a sterile production with the flaws ironed out. I am very impressed with the diverse sound that Wuthering Heights has created on this release, so it is about time that a search of the back-catalogue be undertaken as the band has far more to offer than the average run-of-the-mill band.
Submitted by Transcendence (Adelaide, Australia)
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