[Album artwork by Alexander Roivainen]
Truth be told, it wasn’t love at first sight. Or sound. Its eight songs clocking in at just under thirty minutes, Shadows in the Tower make a good enough first impression. The opener is punchy. The cover art catches your eye. The twin guitar attack element is cool. The songs never overstay their welcome. And Abboud’s singing is, as always, pretty great. But it felt a little “in one ear and out the other.” I wasn’t sure there was much to it aside from a fun listen.
It wasn’t until the third or fourth spin that Shadows clicked. It’s a smooth record. And I often feel compelled to give smooth records a little extra time to work their charm. If it’s checking every other box, give it the benefit of the doubt–and benefit of time–to see where it lands.
Fortunately, the smoke cleared, the dust settled, and my appreciation for what Shadows in the Tower offers grew. I am still not hearing the power metal influence that I’ve read elsewhere. But I do think the band does an admirable job of maintaining a certain pace without dipping their feet fully into speed. They really do not let their feet off the gas. That, if nothing else, is The Scepter’s calling card. Well, that and the generally impressive riffs.
There isn’t a dud on Shadows but there are some notable highlights. Namely, Abboud absolutely owns “Where Art Thou.” And the generally impressive riffs are more specifically impressive on “Protector of the Skies,” “Burn Bundy Burn” (which sounds very much like Blazon Stone), and the closing title track. It is true that speedy The Scepter is best The Scepter. The twin guitar element can’t really hit peak form outside of that joint cause. Perhaps the band should have dipped their feet fully into speed, after all. Regardless, I appreciate that The Scepter varies the pace without ever truly slowing things down.
