Illnath – 4 Shades of Me (2013)

After their surprising transformation on “Third Act in the Theatre of Madness”, Illnath returns with a very solid release rooted on a bigger Melodic Death Metal foundation. “4 Shades of Me” features 11 tracks of superbly catchy Melodic Death Metal that shows the band nicely settling into their new career path.

Immediately after the so-so opener “Blood Warrior”, “Gallow Hill” shows the first signs of brilliance in this release with super catchy riffing and a crushing sense of melody and aggression. The band’s growler Mona Beck does a fine job in delivering harsh vocals that if you didn’t read it was a female singer, it would be hard to figure out.

With a splash of old Swedish Death Metal and the Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal vibe, tracks like “King of Your Mind”, “No Salvation”, and “Unleashed” show a very mature band crafting engaging headbanging anthems. There is a certain little element missing from this release that makes it a bit linear after 9 songs pass by, but we are sure that in the future Illnath will surely complete their sound.

Our favorite track is the super catchy “Not my God” and it’s very intricate drumming and solid tempo changes. That certain little element (guitar solos) we mentioned before is finally present on “It’s On Me” for a very brief period of time, making this track one of the best in the album. The band’s re-recording of “Angelic Voices Calling” is a nice touch in this release bringing their old classic into their newer sound. We quite liked this version (the bass guitar is quite cool), but we still think that the original is one of their finest songs.

In general, “4 Shades of Me” is quite a step forward in the band’s new direction. We loved their symphonic BM stuff, but their current sound really pushes them forward in new directions and challenges them musically. Maybe the addition of another guitarist will greatly benefit the band in the creativity department in the future, but as one now, Illnath is quite a force to be reckoned with.

Release: March 12th, 2013

Genre: Melodic Death Metal

Country: Denmark