Life as a reviewer can be pretty tricky. Nobody asks for my preferences, so I can never expect or plan anything. I'm given what I'm given and I have to deal with it. That's the beauty about reviewing; it makes me a better listener and I learn to appreciate an album for what it is, even when it's not my preferable genre. Sometimes it's hard to get rid of prejudice about non-preferable genres, but I learn to sort out the quality and dig their appeal to their listeners. Some such albums have actually made it to my playlist under this circumstance, something that wouldn't have happened unless I reviewed them. This is getting even more involved when the review deals with a band that blends several styles, and some of my least preferable ones at that. Such is the case with "The World They Took Over," the second full-length by the Icelandic, SHOW ME WOLVES.

The band draws inspiration from various styles and merges them to create a sound of its own. It is far from being a patchwork, though; it sounds organic and natural. You can sense the darkness of Black Metal on Metalcore underpinnings with a progressive approach. Some Stoner overtones can be heard as well. The passionate vocals are something between harsh HC delivery and Black Metal screams. The band started as a single-handed project with Lúðvíksson as its sole member. The album does a decent job in showcasing the band's strengths. The progressive elements are inherent in the songwriting, thus making it subtler without employing corny progressive shticks. It also amplifies the other features of this record instead of drowning them.

The album has a firm spine in the form of a concept that goes along the songs. It deals with the never-ending struggles since birth through childhood and adolescence against being pushed out of society and losing one's self-determinism to become another pawn on the board. I was surprised by the somewhat warm "open" sound that seems to be sloppy without actually being one. The rhythm changes are made with nice introductive passages, which make it easy on the listener to identify himself with it without being thrown away. This is quite a feat to make "predictable" progressive music that is not boring. Also, there is a nice interplay between building tension and releasing it just in time to keep the listener aware and responsive.

The great late Chuck Schuldiner once said that he wanted to see metal as a united thing and that he was tired of people breaking it down into Thrash Metal, Death Metal, etc. Well, here it is.<