The Italian power-metal quartet FLASHBACK OF ANGER return with their new album and a new rhythm section in drummer Lorenzo Innocenti and bass plucker Marco Moroni. "Shades", the band's third album is a return to the melodic-creativity submerged in the heavy music they have become renowned for, indeed, the new backbone has breathed fresh life in the bands overall sound.

"Shades" opens with a drum stutter of said new drummer, "Ripped Out" is a nugget of bombastic energy, vocalist Alessio Gori is on top form as his distinct voice heralds the first kick of this reconstructed band. The use of synthesizers and flourishes of ambient noise lends an extra dimension to the overall sound, distinctly opening "Numbers" before the band kick in, Gianmarco Lotti's guitar work is rock solid, harmonic fills and densely delivered riffs abound this ear-assaulting song.

The tracks blend into each other seamlessly, "Loaded Guns In Guitar Cases" continues the momentum, Innocenti is really coming to the fore, his kick-drums sound like a doom driven metronome, firing relentlessly giving the perfect backdrop to the destructive landscape FLASHBACKS OF ANGER deliver. "Band Of Brothers" opens with the very pleasant wave of piano notes before the rest of the band stampede in with a classic anthemic-guitar pattern, slightly on the side of NWOBHM mixed with later the trash inspired influences surface in "Hold Out".  This midpoint on the album suffers from a slight monotony,  everything has the same appealing intensities, but little is done outside of the book of metal techniques.

"Dawn Of Light" however gets a better acoustic clean picking along with some old school piano work opens this song which actually stands out well on "Shades", though we do fall into an-eighties pit with "Lonely Road", here the band stretches the formula a little more and try something new again with the sound which brings both effective and interesting results. Closing the album out with one last acrobatic blast is the atomically charged "Marvels Of The World", ending the album as it began with raw power metal.  "Shades" is a wonderful introduction for the new rhythm section to the world, they are given plenty of space to contribute and they do with sincerity.

If FLASHBACK OF ANGER had not broadened the albums theme with synth and piano sections in "Dawn Of Light" and "Band Of Brothers" it would have made "Shades", not boring, but perhaps bland sounding with little scope for adventure, thankfully they have stretched out musically and in doing so creating an album of tremendous depth.