Shadows And Silhouettes
Hartmann
HARTMANN'S "Shadows and Silhouettes" is an album that contains absolutely no Metal whatsoever. Does this mean it's bad? No but it does have some issues. It has a few bright spots in it but, for the most part, it is extremely boring. That isn't to say there isn't any talent on the album; in fact, HARTMANN himself is one hell of a guitar player and very good at creating and singing catchy vocal melodies. Another plus is the amazing production; it really is clear and loud but doesn't get too distorted. The second track, "High On You," one of the album's best tracks, displays his vocal hooks that stick in your head and really push the song forward. The guitar solo towards the end is well placed and glues the song together; it is melodic and just interesting enough. Unfortunately, as is the problem with most the album, there isn't anything musically interesting going on unless there is a solo. The riffs are simple and plain, the bass doesn't really stand out, and the drumming is standard rock fare. What really bogs the album is there are too many acoustic soft rock songs. "Glow," "When Your Mama Was A Hippie," "Jaded Heart," "Amazing," "Still The Same," and "Letting Go", are all safe, easy listening tracks that have nothing special going on within aside from HARTMAN'S expressive vocals, who often times sounds like JORN, which is high praise.
If more of the album was like "High On You," or "Too Good To Be True," then we would definitely have a winner on our hands. The latter song is a great song that has a real bluesy feel to it at times, with some good guitar picking in it. HARTMAN'S vocals really pop here, giving this mid-tempo song a playful, bouncy feel without going overboard with it. If you're a fan of Metal then look elsewhere. If you like Rock in general, you might get something out of this but it's going to be tracks that are too few and far between. Hopefully in the future HARTMANN can find firmer footing and put how something that contains a bit more energy.
5 / 10
Mediocre
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Shadows And Silhouettes" Track-listing:
1. Irresisitble
2. High On You
3. Glow
4. When Your Mama Was A Hippie
5. Jaded Heart
6. Amazing
7. Still The Same
8. Would Murder For You
9. The Letting Go
10. To Good To Be True
11. Shadow In My Eyes
12. Last Goodbye
Hartmann Lineup:
Oliver Hartmann - Guitar, Vocals
Mario Reck - Guitar
Armin Donderer - Bass
Markus Kullmann - Drums
Jimmy Kresic - Keyboards
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