All My Shadows are a melodic hard rock band from Germany formed in 2020 by Vanden Plas members (guitarist) Stephen Lill, and (vocalist) Andy Kuntz. The band’s debut album ‘Eerie Monsters’ was released in 2023…
…with the band completed by (keyboardist) Markus Teske, (bassist) Franky R, and (drummer) Stephan Lill. All My Shadows is a hard rock band, and while there are a few Vanden Plas members in the line-up, that is the one and only thing the two bands share – Vanden Plas being a progressive metal band. So if you were expecting something samey – think again!
With a thirty-second slow burn into life, the band hits you for six with a tremendous thwack courtesy of the bombastic ‘Silent Waters’ – and an intro that reminds me so much of Iron Maiden’s ‘The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg’ (from the bands 2006 album ‘A Matter Of Life And Death’) – All My Shadows echoing the guitar sound to a tee! And as ‘Silent Waters’ progresses, there are a few more nod-backs to the ‘Maiden classic – but what a hard rocking metal-edged way to introduce a new album – and a new band! ‘A Boy Without A Name’ ups the energy and tempo, swinging hard and hitting harder, nodding the heads of every rocker worldwide. The oomph of ‘A Boy Without A Name’ is emphatic. The classic foot on the monitor feel of (usually) heavy metal is very much in evidence – the band running perilously close to the metal genre when they claim to be a hard rock band. And yes, I do know the two genres are very closely linked – and that in the old days, All My Shadows would have been considered a heavy metal band, just as Def Leppard, Whitesnake, and even Kiss were! ‘Syrens’, however, loses the metal edge, sitting comfortably in the hard rock genre, introducing a majestic feel not yet heard. My feet will be tapping very hard to this one!
The band opened the album with a strong metal edge, which slowly disappeared song after song until landing fairly and squarely in the hard rock genre and eventually spreading to other genres such as the alternative and progressive styles of rock – ‘Lifeforms’ taking a very different path to that taken by ‘Eerie Monsters’ thus far! A new band trying to make their mark by sounding different to (most of) the members of another band, are doing an excellent job – ‘Wolverinized’ broadening the band’s musical horizons even further! A bit of balladry, a bit of the anthemic, and a little doom rock thrown in for good measure – ‘Wolverinized’ a meandering wander between genres. All My Shadows definitely not afraid to explore new sights and sounds with this album – an album that marches on with the heavy-hitting hard rocker ‘The Phantoms Of The Dawn’. And a song that most assuredly comes flying at you from the hard rock genre! The band stands loud and proud as ‘The Phantoms Of The Dawn’ punches and crunches hard – very hard!
And with a mellowness and serenity not yet heard, All My Shadows move into balladry with ‘Farewell’ encouraging every listener, fan and follower to reach for their lighters to hold them aloft and salute an emotionally charged ballad, which is customary for a rock album. The band shows a more sensitive side to the one seen or rather heard on ‘Eerie Monsters’ up to this point. ‘Devil’s Ride’ returns to the metal-edged sound of earlier, combining it with a little progressive rock texture to create a pulsating mix of styles. A hard-hitting tempo-changing foot stomp, ‘Devil’s Ride’ is going to appeal to a very wide audience – the album’s final song (and presumably title song) ‘All My Eerie Monsters’ is a culmination of every style of music the band has shown since the album began. So you can expect a heavy-hitting wander of changing pace and tempo with atmosphere, calm, and serenity from time to time.
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Overall, a meandering mix of hard rock with the occasional metal edge cutting in, ‘Eerie Monsters’ is an eclectic mix of styles.
TRACKLIST
Silent Waters
A Boy Without A Name
Syrens
Lifeforms
Wolverinized
The Phantoms Of The Dawn
Farewell
Devil’s Ride
All My Eerie Monsters
All My Shadows: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: Frontiers Music s.r.l.
Category: Album
Country: Germany
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
