Cadaveria
The Shadows' Madame

It is little over twenty years since Cadaveria left symphonic black metal band Opera IX to create music under her own alias. The debut album came twenty years ago in 2002 and was called The Shadows’ Madame, and that is the album that is being reissued in celebration of that fact. And perhaps it is a welcome sign of life from a band that hasn’t released an album in quite a while, a sing that something is up perhaps. But what about this debut?

It has aged well, it was released twenty years ago but still feels fresher than most of the black metal genre. It might not be such a difficult task but considering how much new black metal that sounds flat and generic it it evident that it is. The female vocals is a nice touch, the style that is often called horror metal is also slightly different from many black metal. More melodic than the old-school stuff, but less melodramatic and symphonic than those bombastic reformers. It is perhaps a bit theatrical and goes in a direction that could be fitting horror stories.

I find this album to be surprisingly vital, it feels alive and energetic. Not outstanding, as it misses those highlight songs and that little extra touch that elevates the best bands to something a little bit above. Some great tracks would have helped this album to achieve something more than an exciting release, or a promising debut reissued. It has its moments, and it could be interesting to listen to for a while, but is it anything to own?

I don’t know, perhaps. The tracks are decent, the style interesting enough, so it could be worth your while. But don’t expect anything outstanding or brilliant, it works and can be enjoyed for a while, but I doubt it is an album that you really want to return to.

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