Shining Black is one of those Frontiers curated projects that seemingly materialized out of thin air a couple years ago. The band serves as a vessel for not one, but two power metal staples: guitarist Olaf Thörsen of Labÿrinth and Vision Divine fame, and veteran vocalist Mark Boals who first became a household name among headbangers on Yngwie Malmsteen’s Trilogy (1986). Joining them for this latest affair, entitled Postcards from the End of the World, is none other than Thörsen’s Labÿrinth bandmates: keyboardist Oleg Smirnoff, bassist Nik Mazzucconi, and drummer Matt Peruzzi.
For all purposes, this is a Labÿrinth album with Boals on vocals. Matter of fact, Boals sang for the band for a couple years in the mid 2010s, although no new music materialized. My guess is if they had made an album with Boals, it would probably sound like this; a marriage of the progressive power metal they’re known for and the AOR infused neoclassical metal of late 80s Yngwie Malmsteen. On the surface, this is what best describes Shining Black. Of course there are more nuances, many of which I’ll discuss, but this is the meat and potatoes of their sound.
The album’s opening title track could pass as a lost song from Malmsteen’s Trilogy era. It’s a dark, dramatic euro metal number in which Boals’ distinct vocals and Thörsen’s neoclassical shredding are showcased front and center. These two components remain the focal point throughout. Whether Shining Black is playing Wacken friendly power metal (“We Are Death Angels”), piano driven Savatage inspired prog metal (“Higher Than the World”), or purposely grandiose melodic metal (“Like Leaves in November”, “Summer Solstice Under Delphi’s Sky”), the duo of Boals and Thörsen stand tall, front and center.
While the first half of Postcards establishes the mood, it’s the second half that expands upon it and propels the album to the next level. The band shifts into full blown power metal mode on “A Hundred Thousand Shades of Black”, unleashing a barrage of high speed riffs, over the top vocals, and a Rainbow-esque lead guitar vs. keyboard duel. The ferociously thrashy “Mirror of Time” and Helloween-esque “Fear and Loathing” proudly wave the power metal flag high as well. It’s melodic metal slabs like the introspective “Faded Pictures of Me” and “Time Heals, They Say”, another exercise in Yngwie metal, that prevent this from being a full blown power metal outing.
Postcards from the End of the World doesn’t contribute anything to the ProgPower side of the metal spectrum that hasn’t already been explored, but if you’re already a fan of these musicians in their main/past outfits, there’s no reason you wouldn’t care for Shining Black. It’s brazenly bombastic, unapologetically absurd, and a proud subscriber to the belief that “more is more”. If you’re looking for something massive to unleash upon your eardrums this week, you won’t finder a bigger sounding release than Postcards!
6 out of 10
Label: Frontiers Records
Genre: Melodic Heavy Metal
For fans of: Yngwie Malmsteen, Savatage, Labÿrinth