Zandelle | Shadows of the Past

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer —

Long-running (and way too often overlooked) New York-based traditional/power metal outfit Zandelle is back with a new album, entitled Shadows of the Past. Actually, this isn’t so much a new offering as it is a fresh look at some older Zandelle material dating to the band’s earliest days. There are also some “odds and ends” to round out the collection.

Shadows of the Past features ten re-recorded versions of songs from the band’s rare, self-released 1996 Zandelle EP and the equally hard to find 1998 full-length Shadows of Reality. Zandelle (and their predecessor band Gothic Knights) has always had a strong metal sound that was somewhere between traditional and power metal, but on those early releases the emphasis is definitely on the traditional side. It’s thrashy, melodic, has a great sense of power and sticks pretty close to the standard heavy metal lyrical focus (darkness, doom warriors, evil, etc.) It’s exactly what you want to hear when you’re in the mood to raise your fist and bang your head, and Zandelle does this kind of thing very well.

If that wasn’t enough, Shadows of the Past also features a trio of new/rare Zandelle songs, including the previously unreleased “Unleashed,” the brand new song “Scream My Name” and a cover of Whitesnake’s “Bad Boys,” which seems like an odd choice for a band like Zandelle. They make it work though.

While straight-up remastered reissues of the EP and Shadows of Reality would have been preferable, it’s still good to at least be able to hear these early Zandelle songs. Between that and the rarities, Shadows of the Past is a must-but release for serious Zandelle fans. If you’re new to the band, you’re probably going to be better off picking up one of their studio albums (Twilight on Humanity is a good starting point) before coming back to this collection.

Genre: Traditional Metal / Power Metal

Band:
James Corallo (b)
Joe Cardillo (d)
T.W. Durfy (g)
Anthony Maglio (g)
George Tsalikis (v)

Track Listing:
1. Ecstasy
2. Medieval Ways
3. Evil Entity
4. Angel
5. Darkness of the Night
6. Bringer of Doom
7. Soul of Darkness
8. Queen Witch
9. Crimson Rain
10. The Warrior
11. Unleashed
12. Scream My Name
13. Bad Boys (Whitesnake cover)

Label: Pure Steel

Website: www.zandelle.net

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5/10