I didn't feel something close to a sheer heart attack, but at least I cheered for what went on in my ears for nearly forty plus minutes of listening. From the freezing and pale land of Finland, especially now at the cold winter time, I was introduced to SHEAR, a six piece band led by a female vocalist that surprised me, by the label of Lifeforce Records. I have to admit in an enclosed chapter that Lifeforce astonished me with their latest signings as the majority of their bands are bound to the extreme side of Metal while also connecting to modern Hardcore. SHEAR is an example of one of Lifeforce's latest linked deals and this line-up is playing melodic modern Heavy / Power Metal. Following their newfound deal and a great production that they hired for the upcoming process, SHEAR released their debut album, "Breaking The Stillness". If anyone had even the slightest though that is it going to sound like something out of the house of Liv Cristine, he or she is terribly erroneous.

With "Breaking The Stillness" I was once again evident to a different version of European Power Metal that shares no happiness but only a will to break the quietness and scream with unbound anger against deeds that were done to one's self or to others dear with no justice. While most relying on swiftness and smoothness that might seem to be commercialized, I think that this album has a dark and interesting character. Attention-grabbing and flowing material like "The Stillness Wounded", "Redemption Awaits", "Stillness" and "Scorched", presents a tight crew of hard knocking artists that wrote a well made heavy music with a wonderful atmospheric sensation that won't let anyone close their eyes. The music is vigorous and above the common in the genre, heavy, thought-provoking, and yet cold blooded with a fine set of vocals by a great, not even close to be like an angel, female vocalist, named Alexa Leroux, that one day will become a star for sure. I will tell you again, it will only sound commercial, but SHEAR has a lot more to prove and to provide their positively growing fan base.

For me "Breaking The Stillness" was a sort of a build up that began to lower its blaze a little near its ending. What started as something mysterious became bold and powerful only to close the stage down with a decent vagueness and theatrical like drama. It will be fabulous to listen to more of their material in the future to come. It can be mind demanding sometimes but it is worth it.