About This Item
Limited colored vinyl LP pressing. Shadow of Life is the ten song debut album from Umbra Vitae, recorded and mixed by Kurt Ballou at God City Studios. Guitars and bass were recorded by Mike McKenzie at The Black Coast. The album was mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. Intro InchDecadence DissolvesInch is a Schuldiner-esque calm before the storm. InchEthereal EmptinessInch and InchAtheist AestheticInch soon rip everything apart, methodically downshifting from blackened to brutal in tone. InchMantra of MadnessInch then emerges as a monster of a song, driven by inhuman drumming and traditional death metal riffing. This pattern of intensity continues in InchFear is a FossilInch, InchPolluted ParadiseInch, and InchIntimate InfernoInch. All are motion sickness inducing numbers that violently lurch in aural agony. It's here one realizes that this album never let's up. InchReturn to ZeroInch takes it to another level, viciously grinding as the lines InchReturn to zero, bite down on the chain, bow down to no oneInch repeat as mantra. This leads to InchBlood BlossomInch an amalgamation of metal ferocity and hardcore spirit that could very well be the heaviest track of them all. Infectious closer InchShadow of LifeInch then screams in terror as it tells the tale of the internal battle of the dark and light within us all.
