The sheer aggression of this Slavic group shares similarities with Polish death metal bands like Vader, Hate, and Behemoth. From the feral brutality on the grinding drums to the sharp tremolos and hefty chunk of brutal riffing, the band makes a bold statement. The album starts immediately after a short intro, “Ancient Chaos”, where the high-octane energy blasts off with rapid drumming and demonic growls.

The tight songwriting and performance of guitars and drums blasting furiously on the album’s highlight, “The Lamb against the Wolves”, which is a furious opening. However, the slower and melodic passages on the album bring the atmosphere that we are all familiar with in the Polish standard of blackened death metal. Sharp riffs and brutality are uncompromised and absolutely aggressive; in fact, the Slavic group delivers a perfect slab of blistering death/black metal.

Although some of their faster tempos remind me of Vader on “Kneel before the Serpent”, which relies on sheer heaviness and thrashing riffs, the vocals are impressive, featuring a flawless mixture of black and death metal growls. The emphasis on mid-tempos is guaranteed to hook you up to the blazing tremolos, and rapid drums crush anything on its way.

Some of the best melodies on “Oddajcie co moje” forge the band’s own trademark. The approach demonstrates songwriting skills, well-paced instrumentation, and catchy melodies that are combined with hooks. The relentless pummeling taps into the brutality of U.S. death metal bands like Angelcorpse, while the slower tempos add rhythm and melodies that shimmer flawlessly. My only complaint is that the songs are overly aggressive when the band is supposed to focus on melodies and atmosphere.

“The Horror of the Night” is wrapped in layers of tremolos whereas the drums are akin to a machine gun; the songwriting is tight and hostile in every sense. The album is rooted in the style of Polish death metal bands Azarath, with its thrash guitar assaults and wicked vocal ranges adding intensity to the music.

Another highlight on the album, “Witch’s Prophecies”, is the darkest track, where the band relies on less aggression. The blackened vocals steer the tempo even though the drums deliver blast beats and powerful double bass; this track anchors in black metal. The slower tempos are atmospheric, which somehow adds more variation to the music; the rhythm section is flawless and goes with the drumming.

“Wrath of the Hammer” track title is rooted in the Pagan mythology. The sinister chaos this time continues to pummel thundering blast beats and hyper-tremolo riffing, thus never failing to bring excellent variation to the song.

“The Necklace with Runes” features some well-executed clean vocals and evil-tinged shrieks in between the up-tempo sections, with tremolo melodies presented in the faster sections. The demonic and aggressive presentation of Slavic blackened death metal packs sheer brutality on the debut album. Overall, this is a unique album and above the average standard of blackened death metal. That being said, Shine will return in the near future with more ancient themes based on epic Germanic, Norse, and Slavic mythology.

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