ASHES TO ASHES - SHAPES OF SPIRITS (Independent , 2000):
Technical Data:
Recorded at Gordon Studio. Engineered by Thomas Sörlie
Produced by Michael Stenberg
Cover Art / Design: Björn Luna, asisted by Shagrath
Track List: 1- Shapes of Spirits, 2-Gabriel, 3-Castle in The Air, 4-The Mourning, 5- Dying Room, 6-Divide and Conquer, 7-Sacrilege, 8-Ad Infinitum
If I mention Norway: what would you expect? Black metal? Wrong !! This band is much more than that, we can label their music as atmospheric/doom/gothic metal (just to give some clue about their sound, I hate labelling musicians) with some symphonic elements. The trully distinctive element here are the combinations of male and female vocals. Starting with a beautiful instrumental intro called "Shapes of Spirits" to the next song, the powerful "Gabriel" with great vocal work (Randi Hoftvedt is a darker Liv Kristine) and a middle riff similar to the one in Deep Purple´s "Perfect Strangers". And a middle section has a darker and more atmospheric mood. The songs are long and they allow the band to develop a style reminiscent of old Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Anathema or Theatre of Tragedy (but with much more use of keyboards). This band succeeds in making the listener feel all the sensations that they wanted to transmit. A fundamental release. My favorite tracks: All the album. Amazing. Contact: atoa@atoa.net
