ILLUMISHADE surprised their fans on the first day of 2021 by releasing a brand new song, “The Endless Vow,” accompanied by a superb video. The band, fronted by the talented Fabienne Erni (also known as Anna Murphy‘s replacement in ELUVEITIE), released their debut album, “Eclyptic: Wake of Shadows,” last year and have slowly but surely made a name for temselves among (symphonic) metal fans.
If you’re new to ILLUMISHADE, this single is a very good place to start and discover what the band has to offer musically, and that is an updated and modern take on what symphonic metal is, alongside showcasing what the genre could be. Sure, EPICA is doing a fantastic job at keeping the flame alive and well with “Omega,” but I feel like ILLUMISHADE is pushing the boundaries by combining orchestral elements with the freshness of melodic metal, thus being more in line with WITHIN TEMPTATION‘s current sound.
“The Endless Vow” is a melodic metal delight with symphonic undertones. Synths and tribal-sounding drums welcome the listener to the realm of the Illumi, with the fierceness of the guitar breaking that spell and getting things going at a great pace. The synth accents in the background add to the mystical vibe of the music while the guitars and drums lay down a groovy rhythm. Once the vocals come in, most everything is pulled back, allowing the drums to continue their tribal melody, which contrasts a bit with Fabienne Erni’s delivery.
The catchy chorus elevates the music to eleven as it is punchy and robust, with this punchiness continuing into the second verse and the subsequent chorus, thus making for a rather dynamic and lively mid-section. The impressive guitar solo, masterfully delivered by Jonas Wolf, adds a bit more melody to the fold and bleeds well into the final part of the song. There is a gradual build-up in intensity, which culminates in the final chorus as the vocals dominate and finish everything on a high note, literally.
A really great song that not only expands the wonderful and magical world that ILLUMISHADE created with their concept album, but also brings more aggression, if not some heaviness as well, to the band’s sound. As per usual, the lyrics are quite enigmatic but beautifully written so as to intrigue and fascinate the listener at the same time.
Check the video below and let yourself be mesmerized by the wondrous ILLUMISHADE.
Written by Andrea Crow
Line-up
Fabienne Erni – vocals
Jonas Wolf – guitars
Yannick Urbanczik – bass
Marc Friedrich – drums
Mirjam Schnedl – synth & orchestrations
Label
Independent release
