An ominous drone, a piercing sound from a synth and a feeling of rising tension create the ideal way to introduce Shadowborn’s debut EP. In just a few seconds, this gives ‘Through The Hourglass’ a feeling of unease, and the quiet but dark sounds also have the effect of making the subsequent riffs come through with a much bigger punch.

Across the bulk of the next five minutes, this EP’s title cut thunders through a world of metallic riffs that pull a huge influence from classic thrash and the melodic end of power metal to create something that’s rich in a “traditional” metal sound. Nathaniel Jones hammers his fretboard pretty much constantly throughout the track, going head to head with drummer Ferdinand Handojo, whose speed driven approach goes a long way to giving Shadowborn their real sense of force. Musically, everything sounds like a callback to the late 80s fused with the bombast of the European scene during the 00s. This, naturally, doesn’t make Shadowborn particularly original, but by the end of this number’s first chorus, this recording – despite showing off a slight budgetary constraint when it comes to the drum sound – shows off a committed band who sound more than ready to inject some pleasingly retro metal into the ears of their Australian fans and beyond. The music is great for what it is, but it’s actually vocalist Josh Glendenning who steals the show here: his huge, bombastic approach really exudes confidence, and although his clean singing style is very much indebted to a heavy metal past, his combination of great tone and pure volume cannot be faulted when holding his own against the relentless riffs.

That, in many ways, starts Shadowborn’s debut with best foot forward, but the slightly slower and chunkier sounding ‘Curse of Baba Yaga’ is even better. The opening riffs allow for a deeper guitar tone to mesh with Daniel Marijanovic’s bass, and the groove that’s quickly set in place allows Ferdinand’s drums to come through with more clarity that before. In terms of melodic thrash, everything here is absolutely stellar, and with a great arrangement topped by a slightly gruffer vocal, it shows off Shadowborn at full force. There are moments during the chorus where Josh slips from the tougher stance into his previous wail, but this compliments the number’s shamelessly old school lead break perfectly. In short, this represents six minutes’ worth of classic sounding metal. There are no nu-metal flourishes, no nods to the love of metalcore that has dominated parts of the scene at the time of this release; just pure unadulterated metal that sounds like a love letter to Testament circa 1990 coupled with a lighter vocal – and its superb.

Not keen to get stuck in a musical rut, ‘Flame Tornado’ introduces a few faint prog metal influences, tempering the speed and trad metal bombast in a way that allows for a few very interesting flourishes. Daniel drops into the intro with some great lead bass fills, which he then puts to great use during a slightly overwrought sounding chorus, but the best elements come from Nathaniel, who drives everything forward with a blend of chugging rhythm work, contrasted by a flowing lead guitar that brings a slight Eastern flavour to the melody. Everything ends up sounding like a strange hybrid of Exodus and Symphony X in a sedate mood, creating smart metal sounds that draw from the past, but sound strong in the present. By contrast, the EP’s closing number ‘Gift of The Gods’ is a little harder to get into. The vocal melodies feel a little too bombastic on first listen, but revisiting the track will uncover another round of solid musical chops from all concerned, particularly when opening with riffs that sound like something from Iron Maiden’s ‘Powerslave’ delivered at a hundred miles an hour, and presenting a couple of solos worthy of Shrapnel Records releases circa 1988. Make it past the squealier vocal moments on the chorus, and there’s much to love here. Fans of old school metal should still be entertained.

It’s to Shadowborn’s credit that, although these relatively epic tracks might have just as easily made just as much of an impact with slightly shorter arrangements, none of the listening time feels at all wasted. ‘Through The Hourglass’ doesn’t aim to break musical barriers, or even push boundaries, but in terms of sharing some really enthused trad metal sounds, what it does, it does very well indeed. This could be the sound of a band who’s second release will sound even better, but in terms of first impressions, this EP offers much to enjoy.

January 2025