BLOOD OF INDIGO is a Canadian trio formed in 2017. Their debut album, Dawn of The Shaded World, will be released on August 19th, 2022, via their own label, Pyromancy Records. Mixing Power, Symphonic, Cinematic, and Progressive metals into a custom alloy, they write epic songs that create massive soundscapes meant to assist the listener in getting lost within their own mind. The compositions conjure imagery and illustrate the lyrics, influencing the emotions like a movie score.

The disc opens with a fourteen-minute instrumental that sets the stage for the rest of the story. "Mimesis" has a series on movements that ebb and flow with a grandeur not often heard in even the best of metal operas. The strings and wind instruments swell and fade throughout the piece, giving the listener a fantastic ride along a well-designed path that leads to the rest of the record. This particular piece is heavy on the orchestration, giving it a classical movie score feel. You know this is the prelude to an epic journey through a hellscape the protagonist will endure.

"Resurrection" finally brings in the rest of the band. The bass is subdued for the intro, the keys are ethereal, and the sound effects are almost haunting. Once the intro is done, the guitars and drums really kick in and the vocals are unleashed. The brutal growls contrast the airy string work beautifully. There are choir style chants and whispers, muted guitars, and organized sonic chaos. The guitar lead work, including the solo, is excellent. When the song transitions from guitar solo on a held vibrato note back to the harsh vocals, they prove their ability to stun and shock.

"Anne Marie Indigo" is an epic piece of songwriting. The way the song grows slowly from a sludgy tempo to a full out aural assault with blast beats is amazing. The rhythm goes from creepy and haunted to brutally aggressive and back again. One of the cool things about this is the next song, "Jade and Her Quiet Place," is a piano ballad that works to lull you into a false sense of security and serenity. This journey does not race through the dramatic pieces and rush to the end. There are pitfalls and respites scattered throughout.

Next, "Angelus the Faceless Vampire" builds slowly at the start, reaching a brutal pace early. The vocals are as harsh as always. The bass line is dark and low while the keys are light and airy. The guitar work is sublime, almost hidden underneath the orchestration in many places, though it does come out front at all the right times.

"Sphynx, Collector of Eyes" and "The Hunter's Nightmare" both have nicely done, though brutal, guitar riffs in many sections, while also having slower sections that are the calm before the storm. The orchestration within these tunes is ethereal and haunting, demonstrating an ability to set up a change in tempo and tone of the song in ways not often seen with other bands.

Completing the journey through this story, we wind up at the 10-minute "Dawn of The Shaded World." This song features the amazing Lindsay Schoolcraft, a musician with a stunning array of talents from harp to vocals to pianos. The piano under the guitar riff is most excellent. Lindsay and Alex work together beautifully. Her clean vocals, the chants, the growls, they all blend into a massive work of art that is not to be denied.

This entire album has an aesthetic. Dark and gloomy, occasionally futuristic in tone, often Gothic and brooding, it is intricate and beautiful, haunted, and forbidding. There is a lot of power and finesse on this record. The fade at the end of the record, eerie and dark, is phenomenal. The songwriting on this disc rivals many of my favorites, adding another band to an ever-expanding number of loves. The production on this is fantastic. Whoever mixed this took loving care to make sure it sounded just right.

Everything about this album is beautifully designed and executed.