(Melodic Death Metal) [CD] Whispered - Shogunate Macabre - (Japanese Edition COCB-60112) - 2014, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Jouni Valjakka - Vocals, Guitars: Pyrypekka "Pepe" Ruponen - Guitars: Mikko Mattila - Bass: Jussi Kallava - Drums:This subgenre is truly a box of surprises. If imagined as a simple scale, one can find three distinguished levels of the so called melodeath. On the first and lower one, you have the blithering metalcore groovy stuff the kids have been eating up since... well, more than ten years? Smacked at the middle, there's the talented albeit perennially generic bands like Nightrage, and just when you feel like giving up the hopeless quest that is looking for worthwhile music in a scene known for chasing its own tail ad infinitum, you stumble upon groups like this one.
Like their neighbours in Kalmah, Whispered play a blend of hyperkinetic melodeath infused with power metal. The production is thankfully crisp, leads are blistering, monstrous riffs are plenty, the tight rhythm section has nary a second to breathe and the vocals carry the whole thing forwards with a steady barrage of howls that, while lacking dynamic and “flair” (If such thing can really be attained by growling), make up for it by being reliably sturdy and powerful. Again, similarly to Kalmah or Shade Empire, they use layers of keyboards to build sonicscapes that illustrate a concept. As Wintersun’s pads evoke pictures of shimmering night skies painted by aurora borealis, Whispered shoves us right in the middle of feudal Japan during the age of the shōguns, when samurai roamed the land and the mystique of Japanese culture was already established and growing strong.
Few are the bands that seem capable to truly blend their external influences into the genre's core sound. It's a dangerous game, indeed. Do it too softly, and it becomes a gimmick used only to draw attention. Play it with a heavy hand, and the parts that are supposed to rock end up drowning in a sea of whatever it is you're trying to bring to the forefront in order to hide the fact you can’t play straight up metal to save your life (look no further than Dimmu Borgir for the ultimate example). However, the precision and patience applied to the songwriting in Shogunate Macabre are staggering, as each guitar scale, atmospheric frills and eastern instrumental parts seem beautifully thought out to enhance each individual song.
Like a finely honed samurai blade, the music shifts and wavers between the steady calmness of green fields and the epic furor of battle in a dance that is absolutely seamless. Almost every transition feels incredibly organic, from the gallant melodic flourishes of “Hold the Sword” to the tense, serpentine “Kappa” which also features a completely unexpected sax solo that puts a smile in my face every time I listen to it, not because of my love for that particular instrument, but because of how NATURAL it sounds within the context of the song. And oh boy, there’s no end to it. “One Man’s Burden” blasts off with pile driving staccato riffs as the rich leads permeate the song with a sadness that seems strangely rousing, especially when placed so close to the short but great chorus, as “Lady of the Wind”, the best track in here, features an absolutely spectacular array of solos and leads, not to mention its marvellous atmospheric segments and healthy use of clean vocals. Again, not even one of the elements fights against the other one for dominance. All of them flow like water, like they were meant to band together and tell you a story. Brilliant.
Every other track represents a variant to the very successful formula of writing songs in order to bring the listener along for an adventure, be it short or long-winded, realistic like a bloodied field of war or magical like a bedtime tale told to a child. What a gem this is. Be sure to keep an eye out for these four guys who I’m sure have shared a past life in another certain distant, but also surely mystical country.
Review written by Alchameth for www.metal-archives.com
Links:
http://www.redhouse.fi/label/
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Whispered/74805